Events

SAN FRANCISCO — Executives from Walmart, Facebook and Groupon are among the keynote speakers slated for the Mobile Commerce World three-day conference and expo in June. 

Mobile Commerce World touts itself as the only event of its kind designed to help retail and enterprise executives create the most effective mobile commerce strategies. It will be held June 24-26, at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. 

The keynote lineup includes:

PALM BEACH, Fla. — During the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Annual Meeting today, the association elected the new officers, two new executive committee members and four new board of directors members for the coming year. The NACDS Foundation also announced the addition of five new members. 

Robert Narveson, president and CEO of Thrifty White Pharmacy, was elected as the new NACDS chairman of the board of directors, succeeding Gregory Wasson, president and CEO of Walgreens.

Toronto -- Holt Renfrew will open a flagship store in spring 2016 at Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga. The store, planned at approximately 120,000 sq.-ft., is part of the company's aggressive growth plan, which will result in a 40% expansion of the total square footage of Holt Renfrew's network.

In addition to the new Square One site, a number of Holt Renfrew stores will be renovated and expanded, with some completely rebuilt.

New York -- Investment firm Starboard Value, Office Depot’s largest stockholder with a 14.8% stake, revealed Monday it has delivered a letter to the office supply retailer’s board of directors, expressing “strong disappointment at the board's failure to work constructively with Starboard to reconstitute the board.”

In March, Starboard nominated six candidates, including former Home Depot chief Robert Nardelli – to Office Depot’s board in an effort to strengthen the company’s direction.

Phoenix -- Leslie’s Poolmart said Monday it will grand-open eight Leslie’s Swimming Pool stores on April 26-28, part of the company’s pre-stated goal to open 48 new stores in spring 2013.

New stores will open in Bristol, Conn.; South Elgin, Ill.; Kansas City, Mo.; Medford, N.J.; Depew, N.Y.; Huber Heights and Canton, Ohio; and Doylestown, Pa.

With the 48 new stores and its recent acquisition of 24 Warehouse Pool Supply stores in the Houston area, Leslie's will bring its total store count to more than 800 stores nationwide.

HANOVER, Pa. — Synder’s of Hanover is using the 30th anniversary of National Pretzel Day to create a series of nationwide events to engage with consumers.

Quincy, Mass. -- Ahold USA and its Stop & Shop banner have donated half a million dollars to a charitable organization set up to aid victims of the recent terrorist attacks in Boston.

The company announced the donation of $500,000 to The One Fund Boston, formed by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.

"Words cannot express the tragedy that took place at the Boston Marathon," Stop & Shop New England Division president Joe Kelley said. "We mourn with all of those who were affected."

Chairman, president and CEO of Fast Retailing Tadashi Yanai is among the 2013 Time 100, the magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. 

Yanai was the only retail and CPG company executive to make the list. Other notables with a connection to the retail industry included Samsung CEO Oh-Hyun Kwon, Paypal co-founder Elon Musk and fashion designer Michael Kors. The complete list will appear in the April 29 issue of Time, available now.