Corporate Governance

New York -- The National Retail Federation on Wednesday criticized a fire-and-building safety agreement for Bangladesh, led by labor groups such as Europe's IndustriALL.  

"While the proposal put forth by the labor unions addresses a number of shared concerns, the accord veers away from commonsense solutions and seeks to advance a narrow agenda driven by special interests," NRF CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement.

Los Angeles -- The Kroger Co.  unveiled a clean energy production system that will convert food that can't be sold or donated into clean energy to help power its Ralphs/Food 4 Less distribution center in Compton, Calif.

Bloomington, Minn. -- Mall of America., the nation's largest retail and entertainment destination, has unveiled a new logo and tagline.  

Ft. Worth, Texas -- Westwood Contractors announced that effective May 1, Michael W. McBride has  assumed the role of president in addition to his position as COO at the firm.

“This promotion acknowledges Mike’s leadership role in the strategic direction of the company as it continues to grow,” said Robert D. Benda, CEO of Westwood.

Prior to joining Westwood in 1994, McBride held construction management positions at Payless Shoe Source and Zale Corporation.

Walpole, Mass. -- Walmart announced the completion of eight new solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays in Massachusetts, celebrating with an event at its Walpole store.

Fort Worth, Texas – RadioShack will start offering a tailored assortment of consumer electronics products in college stores operated by NACSCORP, a subsidiary of the National Association of College Stores, this fall. A five-year agreement will establish branded RadioShack sections within college stores that offer both branded and private label electronics products and accessories.

Through this arrangement, RadioShack will have direct access to customers of roughly 4,000 college stores around the country.

Boston -- The administration of Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has agreed to allow the construction of a 4.5-acre complex called Fenway Center in the area around Fenway Park in the city’s Back Bay neighborhood. Developer John Rosenthal will pay $226 million in rental fees to build the development, which will include retail stores as well as homes and office buildings.

The development includes state-owned land as well as air rights over the Massachusetts Turnpike.

St. Petersburg. Fla. – HSN has promoted former executive VP and CFO Judy Schmeling to the new position of CEO and CFO. In her new role, she will be responsible for supply chain operations and customer care functions in addition to continuing her responsibility for finance and IT. Schmeling will oversee these areas for both the HSN and Cornerstone brands.

Pleasanton, Calif. -- Preliminary results from the Safeway annual stockholder’s meeting show that a majority of stockholders followed board of directors recommendations in electing each of the eight directors with a majority of at least 73%. Stockholders also approved the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as Safeway’s independent accounting firm for fiscal 2013.

Cincinnati -- Macy’s reported increases in sales and income for the first quarter of 2013 compared to the same period a year earlier, despite cool weather that delayed spring shopping in key markets. Net income was $217 million, a 20% hike from $181 million in the year-ago period.  

While net income slightly beat analyst predictions, same-store sales rose 3.8%, short of the 4.3% expected by analysts. Net sales totaled $6.39 billion, up 4% from $6.14 billion in the year-ago period.