Corporate Governance

New York -- Canadian grocery giant Loblaw Cos. will test a new retail concept called Nutshell Live Life Well, a freestanding brand targeted to health-conscious shoppers, the Financial Post reported. The move comes as Whole Foods Market eyes greater expansion in Canada.

The first Nutshell will open this fall in downtown Toronto. It will feature a broad assortment of prepared, fresh and packaged foods, a prescription pharmacy, natural health and beauty products, vitamins and supplements.

San Diego -- Fixtures Living, which specializes in premium lifestyle products for the home, is changing its name to "PIRCH." The official switchover occurs on Aug. 29.

Fort Worth, Texas -- RadioShack Corp. on Friday released a statement in which it said that its balance sheet continues to be strong, with total liquidity of $820 million at the end of the first quarter. The chain released the statement the day after a report said the retailer was considering hiring a financial adviser.

Armonk, N.Y. -- Retailers and CPG companies with leading stock prices are more likely than their lagging competitors to use Big Data analytics to understand and adjust to customer needs. According to a study of 325 senior retail merchandising executives conducted by IBM Center for Applied Insights in conjunction with Planet Retail, 65% of leading retail merchandisers feel Big Data analytics is critical to their business compared to just 38% of other retail companies.

New York -- Michael Kors is suing Costco Corp., accusing the chain of illegally using pictures of its pocketbooks in its ads to attract customers, according to the Associated Press. Michael Kors said Costco was not authorized to sell the designer's goods.

In a federal lawsuit, Michael Kors accused Costco of using the bags as a lure. It claimed Costco advertised the bags as starting at $99, but didn't actually have any to sell, the report said.

Reamstown, Pa. -- DORMA USA Inc. has significantly expanded its U.S. presence by acquiring Door Controls, one of the largest independent automatic door distributors in the nation.

The acquisition enables DORMA to provide its customers with enhanced products solutions and services in the Midwest, and reinforces DORMA’s current strong installation and service presence in the Eastern region of the country.

New York -- The U.S. Green Building Council’s membership has voted to adopt the next version of its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification system.

The new update, LEEDv4, will launch this fall at USGBC’s annual Greenbuild convention. It has been expanded to include more building sectors, such as data centers, warehouses and distribution centers.

Another LEED v4 change includes allocating about 20% of all points to optimizing energy performance over the ASHRAE 90.1-2010.

Winson-Salem, N.C. – Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation has completed the sale of three company-owned stores in the Dallas market to Sun Life Holdings LLC as part of a broader agreement where Sun Holdings has agreed to develop 15 additional Krispy Kreme locations in the market during the next five years. Sun Holdings operates nearly 400 restaurants in Texas and Florida, including the Burger King, Popeye's, Arby's, CiCi's, Golden Corral and Del Taco brands. The company also operates 13 T-Mobile stores.

Toano, Va. – Lumber Liquidators is launching a blog designed to promote the retailer’s “Lay It Forward” philanthropic program. The blog will share inspirational stories of the various charitable organizations Lumber Liquidators supports through Lay It Forward and also allow visitors to make donations.

Minneapolis – Today and tomorrow, Best Buy is running a special promotion where consumers can bring in a working iPad 2 or third-generation iPad and receive a gift card worth $200 or more depending on model and condition of the iPad. As reported by All Things D, returns must be performed at a Best Buy store location and the gift card will be good for in-store or online Best Buy purchases.