Corporate Governance

Alan Hoffman, former deputy chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, is the new SVP of global public policy and government affairs at PepsiCo.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation said Wednesday that, for the first time in three months, retail sales ticked down slightly as consumers cooled discretionary spending in the face of inclement weather and uncertainty in Washington.

October retail sales (excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants) decreased 0.3% seasonally adjusted from September yet increased 3.9% unadjusted year-over-year.



Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation on Wednesday urged President Obama and Congress to come up with a plan to avoid the “fiscal cliff” by Thanksgiving, saying uncertainty over the pending combination of tax hikes and spending cuts threatens consumer confidence during the holiday shopping season that begins on Black Friday.

Purchase, N.Y. -- A report released Wednesday by MasterCard Advisors, the professional services arm of MasterCard in partnership with Wells Fargo, found that spending at small retailers in October slowed to an increase of 4.2% year over year, down from a 5.8% growth rate in September.

This was the slowest year-over-year growth rate for smaller retailers in 2012, falling below the growth rate of total U.S. retail sales by one percentage point.        

Greensboro, N.C. - The Fresh Market said Wednesday it has entered into agreements to lease four new store locations that are currently operated as Rice Epicurean Markets, a family-owned specialty food retailer based in Houston.

Rice Epicurean Markets will continue to operate the stores through the end of the year, and will close these four stores during the first quarter of 2013.

Strongsville, Ohio -- The International Retail User Group, formerly the IBM Retail User Group, said Tuesday that the organization’s name has been officially changed to the “International Retail User Group.”

New York -- Aeropostale announced Wednesday it has acquired online women's fashion footwear and apparel retailer GoJane.com, based in Ontario, Calif.

The purchase of GoJane.com, which generated sales of about $19 million in 2011, is intended to beef up Aeropostale’s already growing e-commerce business.

Toronto -- Target Corp. announced Wednesday it is pursuing Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification for all Canadian stores opening in 2013.

Design plans include conserving energy and water, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting waste sent to landfill, among other features.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples Inc. reported Wednesday a loss of $596.3 million for the third quarter, compared with a profit of $326.4 million a year earlier. Without restructuring costs, the office supply retailer generated a profit that just edged Wall Street expectations.

Sales for the quarter dropped 2% to $6.35 billion, missing analysts’ expected $6.45 billion in sales.