Corporate Governance

Williams Lake, B.C. – Canadian e-commerce company UNA Global LLC is opening a new online retail site, FitnessConnections4U.com. The site specializes in at-home fitness products such as weights, benches, exercise mats and vitamins and supplements. It also offers a free blog with product reviews, exercise routines, safety precautions, and articles.

Broomfield, Colo. – Famous Brands International, parent company of TCBY Yogurt and Mrs. Fields Cookies, has appointed Neal Courtney as CEO. Neal had been serving as the company's interim CEO since February and served as COO since May 2012.

Chestnut Hill, Mass. -- Swedish children’s wear brand Polarn O. Pyret USA has opened its first Boston-area store at THE STREET in Chestnut Hill, according to WS Development, the center’s developer and owner. This is the fifth Polarn O. Pyret (pronounced POH-lahrn oh PEE-rhet and nicknames PO.P) in the U.S. and the fourth on the east coast.

For years, doomsayers have been predicting the end of brick-and-mortar shopping in favor of the more convenient – albeit two-dimensional – online store experience.

Call me an optimist, but I’ve never bought into the gloom-hype. My feeling has been that brick-and-mortar stores will always be around, and malls (whether open-air or enclosed or flavor-of-the-day format) will survive. A recent announcement by Staples only underscores my optimism.

For the second time in the past six years, 99 Cents Only said it was unable to file its annual report within the timeframe specified by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company’s annual report on form 10-K for its fiscal year ended March 30 was due at the SEC no later than June 28. However, because of a range of inventory valuation issues identified by auditors and a new CFO, the company said it was unable to file the report without unreasonable effort or expense. The company did not indicate when it planned to file the report other than as soon as practicable.

PLANO, Texas — Snapple has taken a page from Seinfeld, the often self-described “show about nothing,” in its latest marketing gambit. 

Famous Brands International, parent company of TCBY Yogurt and Mrs. Fields Cookies, has appointed interim CEO Neal Courtney as the company’s CEO. Neal had been serving as interim head since February, when then-CEO Tim Casey resigned his post.

FORT WORTH, Texas — RadioShack has appointed marketing and communications executive Merianne Roth as the company’s new VP of communications.

Roth's responsibilities will include RadioShack's corporate communications, community relations, internal communications and event marketing. She will report to Jennifer Warren, SVP and CMO. 

LOS ANGELES — Virtual Piggy has appointed Ivo Weevers as the company’s creative director of mobile design. Weevers will be charged with leading and managing the mobile consumer experience team.

Weevers has 15 years of experience in creating mobile, web, device and desktop products across multiple platforms. He has directed design work and lead international design teams in the telecom, device, social media, banking, travel, entertainment, medical automotive industries.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Anheuser-Busch’s Fort Collins brewery is celebrating its 25th birthday.

The brewery took nearly three and a half years to construct, and according to the company was designed based on generations of brewmaster expertise. The state-of-the-art fixture has since undergone three expansions, with the last one having been completed April 2003, and which included a brewhouse renovation, additional grain silos, expansion of the fermentation and aging cellars, an additional warehouse and a new truck entrance.