Corporate Governance

Stockholm, Sweden -- Swedish fast-fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB reported Thursday that net income for the quarter ended Aug. 31 edged up less than 1% to $550 million, missing analysts’ expectations of $618 million in profit. Sales rose 10% in local currency, but gross margins shrank and the retailer said it would delay the start of online operations in the U.S. until next summer to allow it more time to adapt to the market.

Global flavorings leader McCormick & Company named Eli Lilly & Company executive Jacques Tapiero to its board.

Tapiero has served as SVP and president of emerging markets for Lilly since 2009 and brings more than 25 years of international business experience to the $3.5 billion spice company. Tapiero currently leads Lilly's business strategy in many of the world's fastest-growing markets, such as China, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and Turkey. He is a member of Lilly's executive committee.

CLEVELAND — A greeting cards company announced that its board of directors has received a nonbinding proposal to go private.

American Greetings confirmed that the board received a letter from CEO Zev Weiss, president and COO Jeffrey Weiss, along with certain other members of the Weiss family and related parties, to acquire all of the outstanding class A and class B common shares of American Greetings not currently owned by the them for $17.18 per share.

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation estimates that U.S. retailers and their customers are benefiting from savings of up to $18 million every day since the implementation of the debit card swipe fee reform.

PALO ALTO, Calif. — In an effort to extend its leadership as the premier indoor map and search platform, mobile retail navigation service Aisle411 has expanded its executive management team.

NORTHFIELD, Ill. — Kraft Foods is on track to complete a three-year initiative to reduce sodium by an average of 10% across its North American portfolio by the end of 2012.

Kraft Foods' sodium reduction efforts reach across the company's North American product portfolio, including Kraft grated parmesan cheese, Breakstone's 2% cottage cheese and Oscar Mayer bacon. Many other Kraft Foods products, the results far exceeded this goal, including:

• Kraft original BBQ sauce, 40%;

An intriguing shopper marketing initiative involving Unilever and Tesco’s Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market division was launched today in select markets.

The two companies launched an intriguing program designed to help shoppers save money, drive sales of Unilever brands at Fresh & Easy stores and help the Arbor Day Foundation plant trees.

Riverside, Calif. -- Vestar, in a joint venture with a fund advised by UBS Global Asset Management, announced that it has acquired Riverside Plaza, a 475,211-sq.-ft. retail center located on 35 acres in Riverside, Calif., for $84,844,000 in an all cash transaction. The acquisition marks one of the largest investment sales transactions in Southern California's Inland Empire region in the past 10 years. Vestar currently manages more than 22 million sq. ft. of retail properties in the West.

Atlanta -- Sam's Club has become the first warehouse club retailer to install SoloHealth's comprehensive health-and-wellness screening kiosks, SoloHealth announced Wednesday.

SoloHealth said it will begin the rollout of its SoloHealth Station to more than 500 Sam's Club locations nationwide. The kiosks, currently available in select U.S. retail locations, is expected to be in more than 2,500 retail locations by mid-2013.

Foothill Ranch, Calif. -- The Wet Seal said that two independent proxy advisors, Institutional Shareholder Services and Egan-Jones Proxy Services, recommended that the chain’s shareholders reject efforts by Clinton Group to replace six members of the company’s board of directors.