Corporate Governance

New York – Barnes & Noble Inc. will officially spin off its education unit on Aug. 2, 2015. Barnes & Noble shareholders will receive 0.632 shares of Barnes & Noble Education stock for each share of Barnes & Noble stock they hold as of July 27, 2015.

Barnes & Noble Education will function as a separate public company and trade under the symbol BNED on the New York Stock Exchange. Barnes & Noble will continue trading on the NYSE under the symbol BKS.

Express has recruited a new supermodel to serve as the face of its fall 2015 denim collection.

U.S. supermodel Karlie Kloss will star in the retailer's "Fit for You" advertising campaign photographed by Lachlan Bailey and styled by Claire Richardson. The official campaign launches July 2015 in print, digital, in-store, and on social media.

Greensboro, N.C. – Outlet shopping center operator Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. is launching new sustainability initiatives for its U.S. locations promoting alternative energy usage.

Among these initiatives is a nationwide electric vehicle (EV) charging network system that will be available at 23 Tanger Outlets locations in the U.S.

Tanger has partnered with ChargePoint Networks to develop and maintain the network providing multiple spaces for EV owners with no added cost.

With Amazon.com’s share price approaching $500 on the heels of a highly publicized 20th anniversary promotional event, the struggling Books-A-Million chain announced a deal to go private for a paltry sum.

The Books-A-Million chain was always a distant competitor to the likes of Barnes & Noble and even the now defunct Borders chain. Then along came Amazon.com and Books-A-Million grew more irrelevant. As its sales and profits declined so did its growth prospects in the eyes of investors and its stock price.

West Chester, Pa. - QVC will open a state-of-the-art distribution center in Ontario, California. When the new facility begins operation in third quarter 2016, it will serve as a West Coast distribution hub for QVC.

As QVC ramps up operations, the center is expected to employ more than 500 team members by 2018. QVC anticipates hiring approximately 1,000 team members in total by 2020 as the distribution center expands fulfillment to all product categories.

New York -- Starbucks Corp. is expanding its already extensive global footprint.

The chain announced it will open its first stores in South Africa next year in a partnership deal with South African management group Taste Holdings. The initial store is scheduled to open in Johannesburg during the first half of 2016.

Birmingham, Ala. -- In a deal that may take it private again, Books-A-Million Inc. has given its OK to a buyout deal from the family of its original owners.

The chain reached an agreement to be acquired by a newly organized entity owned by the Anderson Family, which includes Books-A-Million executive chairman Clyde B. Anderson, for $21 million, or $3.25 a share in cash. (According to the most recent SEC filing, the Anderson family already owns 58.2% of the company).

Grapevine, Texas – GameStop Corp. has completed a very geeky purchase. The video game chain has acquired 86% of outstanding shares of Geeknet Inc. in a tender offer that expired July 13, 2015.

GameStop Corp. purchased about 5.92 million shares for $20 per share in cash, or roughly $11.8 million. The retailer will make payment on July 17, 2015.