Events

Westfield San Francisco Centre has embraced the National Day Golden Week holiday that runs from Oct. 1- Oct. 7 every year — in China.

During Golden Week, more than 120 million residents of the People’s Republic of China travel to visit family and friends in the People’s Republic and overseas. Large numbers visit San Francisco, home of the largest Chinatown outside of Asia.

Import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to grow 5.1% in September over the same month last year as retailers head into the holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. 

U.S. ports followed by the monthly Global Port Tracker report, released by the NRF and Hackett Associates, handled 1.43 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in July, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Electronic Arts has entered into a multi-year endorsement deal with the captain of the U.S. Soccer National Team, Clint Dempsey. As part of the deal, Dempsey will serve as EA Sports Football Ambassador. 

Dempsey, attacking midfielder and member of the Seattle Sounders, will make his FIFA franchise debut in a FIFA 14 GameStop commercial. The full 30-second ad spot features Dempsey coaching a fan through various post-goal celebration moves. 

PHILADELPHIA — Five Below saw solid performance across most of its categories, resulting in a comparable store sales increase of 6.6% for the second quarter ended Aug. 3 and net sales of $117.1 million, a 34.9% jump from $86.8 million in the prior-year quarter.

The company opened 18 new stores and ended the quarter with 276 stores in 19 states. This represents an increase in stores of 22% from the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2012. 

Warrendale, Pa. – Two independent proxy voting advisory firms, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis & Co., have both recommended that rue21 shareholders vote for a proposed acquisition by Apax Partners. As previously announced on May 23, 2013, rue21 entered into a definitive agreement under which funds advised by Apax Partners will acquire all outstanding shares of rue21 for $42 per share in cash.

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation confirmed that the retail industry added 43,600 jobs last month, particularly in general merchandise, electronics and clothing.

The numbers were based on calculations from the NRF, out of a total 169,000 jobs that the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the economy added in August, bringing the country's unemployment rate down to 7.3%.

Bud Light Platinum and Justin Timberlake are launching "Platinum Nights," a digital-to-real-world scavenger hunt that will challenge social media-savvy fans to unlock a series of weekly clues for a chance to win Platinum flyaway experiences during Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience World Tour.

Throughout the next 13 weeks, Timberlake, Bud Light Platinum's creative director, will release a weekly clue via his Facebook page to lead fans to online and real-life Platinum experiences where they can unlock additional clues.  

Columbus, Ohio -- Fitch announced that Gina Noda has joined the company as business development director. She previously served as director of business development for Sargenti Architects, and prior to that spent 15 years at Scorpio Construction as director of marketing.

Based in the New York City area, Noda will be responsible for expanding Fitch’s presence on the East Coast, as well as across the country.