Corporate Governance

Minneapolis -- Best Buy Co. said Wednesday that the U.S. District Court has dismissed putative securities fraud class actions against the retailer and three of its officers.

With regard to the class action lawsuit filed last year, the court on Tuesday dismissed all counts for lack of substantiation.

Memphis, Tenn. -- Fred’s reported Wednesday that net income for the fourth quarter jumped 14%, boosted by more robust sales and a favorable tax adjustment.

Profit for the quarter ended Jan. 28 rose to $9.8 million, from $8.6 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue rose 2.5% to $497.6 million, missing Wall Street’s expected $498.4 million in sales.

Same-store sales were flat.

Minneapolis -- Opus Development Corp. said Wednesday that it has been selected to develop, design and build a new 52,000-sq.-ft. retail store for Gander Mountain Co., located in Valdosta, Ga.

The retail building will be used as a model for future Gander Mountain stores as the retailer looks to introduce a smaller retail concept in small-to-mid-size markets across the country.

The project is scheduled for completion in late 2012.

Opus AE Group will design the building and it will be constructed by Opus Design Build.

Woonsocket, R.I. -- CVS/pharmacy is shuttering all of its Beauty 360 locations and ceasing operation of the Beauty 360 e-commerce business to focus on the growth of its core CVS/pharmacy beauty business, the retailer confirmed on Wednesday.

As of May 19, all 25 of the Beauty 360 locations will close and the e-commerce business will cease operation.

By Theodore J. Kobus III, Esq., [email protected]

New York -- Kohl’s Department Stores announced plans to launch an exclusive American Idol apparel collection. The newly created line -- Authentic Icon (AI) -- will be available exclusively at Kohl’s and Kohls.com beginning in April.

Plymouth Meeting, Pa. -- Fameco Real Estate announced that Sports Clips has signed its sixth lease in the Philadelphia region as part of an aggressive store roll out campaign.

Sports Clips is focusing its efforts on the Philadelphia MSA and Fameco’s Jim Creed is spearheading the expansion in this market which includes southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware.

New York -- Commercial real estate firm MPI announced the promotion of Andrea Olshan to CEO.

Michael Makinen has been promoted to COO and Ryan Guheen has been named senior VP asset management.

Prior to the appointment of CEO, Olshan served as MPI's COO and was responsible for the operations of the company portfolio, investment activity and external fund investments. She replaces David Lukes, who saw MPI through the reorganization of its corporate offices and senior staff.

SEATTLE — Amazon's fulfillment services just got a boost, thanks to an agreement that will have the company buying Kiva Systems Inc. for $775 million in cash. Kiva is a manufacturer of automation technology for fulfillment centers, and is best known for its mobile- robotic technology and sophisticated control software. Kiva's retail customers include The Gap, Staples, Saks 5th Avenue, Office Depot, Crate and Barrel and Walgreens.

WEST CHESTER, Pa. — QVC is building a presence in China through a new joint venture with Beijing-based China National Radio (CNR), China's government-owned radio division. Through this partnership, CNR and QVC will jointly operate a multimedia retailing business in China through the CNR Mall TV shopping channel and its e-commerce website (www.CNRMall.com), leveraging the strengths and resources of each company.