Corporate Governance

New York — RKF has opened an office in Toronto and named Steven Alikakos president, Canada. RKF’s Canadian expansion comes just weeks after the firm formalized an affiliation with the U.K.-based retail consulting firm CWM Retail Property Advisors.

A growing number of American retailers have launched stores north of the border in recent years, a trend expected to continue. Likewise, the U.S. has seen a wave of expansions from Canadian retailers. RKF hopes to play a role in sustaining and accelerating cross-border retail migration.

Walmart International president and CEO Doug McMillon isn’t due to replace current Wal-Mart Stores president and CEO Mike Duke until February, but when he does the most pressing matter on a long list of priorities will be executing the company’s digital vision.

New York -- In a continued effort to return the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to its core mission, the Board of Commissioners today approved the sale of the agency’s remaining 50% joint venture in the World Trade Center retail project to the Westfield Group for $800 million.
 

The Clarks Group, the company behind the Clarks and Bostonian brands that sells more than 50 million pairs of shoes annually, has named a new chairman.

The privately held United Kingdom-based company, which operates specialty footwear stores in the U.S. and worldwide, elevated Thomas O’Neill to the role of chairman from his position as a non-executive director on the board. He fills a position previously held by Peter Davies to lead the world’s number one non-athletic footwear brand with annual sales of roughly $2.4 billion and a presence in 100 markets.

Carlstadt, N.J. -- Pantone, an X-Rite company and the global color authority, announced Pantone 18-3224 Radiant Orchid as the color of the year for 2014.

Milwaukee — The Marcus Corporation has announced the initial line-up of tenants at The Corners of Brookfield, an open-air, town-center-style development in Brookfield, Wis. The mixed-use 460,000-sq.-ft. development will be anchored by Wisconsin’s first Von Maur department store, which will span 140,000 sq. ft.

The announcement followed a vote by the Brookfield Board approving the development agreement between the town and Marcus. The agreement provides for tax incremental financing for the project.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. reported its November 2013 net sales increased 8% compared with last year. Same-store sales for the period rose 2%.

Net sales for the four-week period ended November 30, 2013 were $1.63 billion, compared with net sales of $1.52 billion for the four-week period ended November 24, 2012.

Ann Arbor, Mich. – Facebook is the lowest scoring brand in the overall ForeSee Customer Experience Index, with a score of 69. The index, a study that examines how today's customer experiences with the top 100 brands across seven industries as reported by Interbrand are predictive of companies' future business success, shows that while Amazon dominates retail industry at the brand level (87), Nordstrom (86), Coach (85), Costco (84) and Tiffany (84) are statistically within reach of the leader.