Corporate Governance

Salt Lake City -- PizzaRev franchisee group Away We Dough, Inc. is opening Utah’s first PizzaRev – a build-your-own artisanal pizza concept with roots in Southern California.

The new West Valley restaurant is the first of five franchise locations planned to open in Utah in the next six months.

Away We Dough is part of William Tell, Inc. based in Salt Lake City, which owns and operates 18 Applebee’s and eight Famous Dave’s in Utah and Washington.

Los Angeles – New York-based investment firm Standard General, which owns a roughly 44% stake in troubled apparel retailer American Apparel Inc, is reportedly preparing recovery plans that both include and do not include controversial former CEO and founder Dov Charney. According to Reuters, Standard General is leaving the decision of whether to allow Charney to return to the company up to the American Apparel board, following a third-party investigation by FTI Consulting.

Paris -- The focus of c-suite and senior executive attention has shifted from economic uncertainty to data, technology and the supply chain, according to the Global Top of Mind Survey from KPMG International and the Consumer Goods Forum. Over half (54%) of respondents cited digital strategy for mobile/digital platforms as top of mind for their business during the next 12 months.

Washington, D.C. -- The House has passed legislation broadening a federal tax law that makes it cheaper for retailers to remodel their stores, the National Retail Federation said.

Lawmakers voted 258-160 today to make “bonus depreciation” permanent, and granted NRF’s request that it be expanded to include stores that are owned rather than just those that are leased. The measure now heads to the Senate.

Walmart chief information officer Karenann Terrell will headline a first of its kind technology conference next month in Northwest Arkansas organized by the Bentonville Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce.

San Mateo, Calif. - NetSuite Inc. a provider of cloud-based financials, ERP and omnichannel commerce software suites is acquiring London-based Venda, a provider of e-commerce solutions for an undisclosed amount. NetSuite says its acquisition of Venda builds on the momentum of NetSuite SuiteCommerce globally and supports NetSuite’s business expansion into the European market.

Williams-Sonoma has appointed Ronald R. Young SVP, global, as part of its strategy to grow the brand outside the United States.

“Global expansion is one of our most important initiatives, and I’m pleased to have Ron Young, with his more than 30 years of experience in global markets, leading our continued growth,” said president and CEO Laura Alber. “Ron’s deep understanding of the global retail landscape, and his financial discipline are the ideal combination of skills and experience to lead our global strategy.”

Cleveland – Higher pretax income and gross profit helped push net income at The Sherwin-Williams Company up 13% in the second quarter of fiscal 2014 to $291 million, from $257 million in the year-ago period.

Net sales rose 12% to $3.04 billion from $2.7 billion, primarily due to higher paint sales volume in the paint stores group and acquisitions.