Retail

Houston — Fuddruckers has opened its first restaurant in Europe — in Varese, Italy near Milan. The fast casual restaurant is the first of 10 planned by a new franchise partner, Vinum et Alia. Future sites being considered are in Italy, Poland and Switzerland.

The design of the 5,000-sq.-ft., 120-seat restaurant references Fuddruckers’ classic roadhouse origins.

Cincinnati -- The Kroger Co. announced that senior VP Robert "Pete" Williams plans to retire in May after 37 years with the company.

Williams, who began his Kroger career in 1977 as a management trainee, has served in his current role since 2007. Currently, he leads seven supermarket divisions. His replacement will be named.

Toano, Va. -- Lumber Liquidators is expanding its board of directors from eight to nine members with the appointment of Nancy M. Taylor as a Class III director effective April 1. Taylor currently serves as the president and CEO of Tredegar Corp., serving in such roles since January 2010, and is a member of Tredegar's board of directors.

New York -- Two U.S. banks have dropped their lawsuit against Target Corp. and its credit card security assessor, Trustwave Holdings Inc. The banks had accused Target and Trustwave of failing to properly secure customer data, leading to the retailer’s data breach during last year’s holiday season.

Oakland, Calif. - The Society for Research of Synergies (SRS) and its company members will place their supply network onto the GT Nexus platform to optimize global transportation costs representing $247.7 million per year. SRS is a global synergy organization representing the interests of 20 European retailer groups, including Groupe Auchan, Groupe ADEO, Pimkie, Orsay, Kiabi, Happychic, H.T.M., Mobivia, Ephigea and Tapis Saint Maclou.

Brussels, Belgium -- Delhaize Group has signed an agreement with Tropic Group B.V. to divest all of its 39 Bosnian & Herzegovinian stores. Tropic Group B.V. is an entrepreneurial organization founded by retail executive Bojan Risović.

The transaction is expected to complete in third quarter 2014, subject to regulatory approval and working capital adjustments. Terms were not disclosed. Delhaize originally purchased the stores from Serbian retailer Delta Maxi in 2011.

Beachwood, Ohio — DDR Corp. has announced that it sold 14 non-prime assets in the first quarter for gross proceeds of $198 million. The company’s share of the proceeds totaled $142 million. In addition, DDR currently counts 14 non-prime operating assets valued at $97 million and $36 million of non-income producing assets currently under contract. DDR expects its share of the proceeds from these transactions to come to $103.

Chestnut Hill, Mass., and Greensboro, N.C. — Tanger Factory Outlet Centers and WS Development have announced plans to partner on the development of an upscale outlet center in Cheshire, Conn. The two companies will co-own the center, which is now in the pre-development stage.

Located at the I-691 and Route 10 interchange, the site features visibility and convenience.