Financial/Banking

Visa shared select details about spending activity from its credit card holders which confirmed findings from other organizations showing that e-commerce sales set new records during the five-day period from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday.

The credit card issuers said e-commerce sales across smart phones, tablets and PCs conducted by U.S. Visa accountholders increased 30% to $7.8 billion. Visa also noted that Cyber Monday ruled the five-day period with spending on Visa cards up 28% to $2.6 billion while Thanksgiving Day saw a 30% jump to nearly $1 billion.

Seattle – Starbucks has priced an underwritten public offering of senior notes. The company plans to use the net proceeds from the offering of $400 million of 0.875% senior notes due 2016 and $350 million of 2.000% senior notes due 2018 to fund a portion of the payment required by the previously announced arbitration award in the Kraft litigation matter.

Newport Beach, Calif. -- Engaged Capital, an investment firm specializing in small and mid-cap North American equities and beneficial owner of approximately 400,000 shares of the common stock of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. sent a letter to the company’s board of directors on Dec. 3. In its letter, Engaged Capital highlighted the upcoming expiration of Abercrombie chairman and CEO Michael Jeffries’ employment contract on February 1, 2014 as an opportunity for the board to set a new direction for the company.

New York -- Visa reported that Black Friday weekend e-commerce sales across smart phones, tablets and PCs conducted by U.S. Visa accountholders increased 30% to $7.8 billion.

The company also noted that Cyber Monday ruled the five-day period with spending on Visa cards up 28% to $2.6 billion while Thanksgiving Day saw a 30% jump to nearly $1 billion.

Third party logistics provider Transplace named veteran finance executive Tony Cossentino as its new CFO reporting to CEO Tom Sanderson.

Cossentino replaces Steve Crowther, who joined Transplace in 2007 and helped guide the company through management-led private equity deals with CI Capital Partners and Greenbriar Equity Group, as well as strategic acquisitions of SCO Logistics, Torus Freight Systems and partnership with Celtic International.

New York -- Investor Engaged Capital LLC has urged Abercrombie & Fitch to start a search for a new chief executive officer and consider selling the company, Bloomberg reported. The company owns less than 1% of the retailer’s shares outstanding.

Leading global beauty company Coty has appointed Patrice de Talhouët as CFO. He will replace Sergio Pedreiro who will stay on at Coty through March 2014 to provide a seamless transition for de Talhouët, as well as to complete Coty's fiscal 2014 second quarter earnings release.

Location: Downtown Erie, Pa.

Size: 196,728 sq. ft.

Developer: Existing property acquired in August 2013 by Phillips Edison-ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc.

Major tenants: Giant Eagle, Panera Bread, The UPS Store, GNC, Wells Fargo, Eat’n Park