Retail

Conshohocken, Pa. – Ikea has plugged-in an expansion of the solar array completed in April 2013 on the roof of its 1.7 million-sq.-ft. Perryville, Maryland, distribution center. Installation of the new panels began in fall 2013, and since then have nearly doubled the size of the original project.

Los Angeles – Newegg is partnering with BitPay to accept Bitcoin payments on Newegg.com. The company’s registered customers can now pay using Bitcoin through BitPay.

With BitPay’s platform, Newegg can accept Bitcoin payments and also handle refunds and payment exceptions using the Bitpay Bitcoin API. When completing an order on Newegg.com, customers can now select “Bitcoin” from the list of available payment methods during stage two of the order process.

Players from 32 countries have poured into Brazil for a month-long contest of extraordinary soccer skill, known as the Copa do Mundo, the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Cheering them is expected to be a total of some 3.7 million fans and tourists, adding an astonishing $3.3 billion USD ($6.7 billion Brazilian Real) to this nation’s economy. According to Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism, the average foreign visitor will attend four Copa do Mundo matches and spend approximately $2,488 during their stay.

Minneapolis -- Tile Shop Holdings announced the appointment of Kirk Geadelmann as its new CFO.

He will transition into the role on August 12, 2014, succeeding CFO Timothy C. Clayton, who has resigned his position to accept an executive position with another company. Clayton will remain with the Tile Shop until mid-August to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities.

Prior to joining Tile Shop, Geadelmann worked for 14 years at Best Buy, most recently serving as the corporate and international controller.

Morrisville, N.C. - Charles & Colvard Ltd. has closed a new three-year $10 million asset-backed credit facility with Wells Fargo Bank. The company’s previous credit facility with PNC Bank was terminated.

The new credit facility provides Charles & Colvard working capital for general corporate purposes and to pursue continued growth opportunities and is secured by Charles & Colvard assets. The company currently does not have any other long-term debt and the new credit facility is undrawn.

San Francisco – The Levi’s brand is launching a new omnichannel global brand campaign, "Live in Levi's," developed out of a creative collaboration with FCB (Foote, Cone & Belding) and The House Worldwide.

Pittsburgh - American Eagle Outfitters Inc. is entering the U.K. with the opening of three new company-owned stores. The stores will be located in the Bluewater mall in Kent, England, as well as the Westfield Group’s London and Stratford City shopping centers in London, England.

The stores opening in the Westfield centers will include an aerie presence in shop-in-shop form. All of the stores are expected to open during fall 2014.

New York -- Retail chain Hobby Lobby was triumphant In a 5-4 ruling by the Supreme Court on Monday in which the court ruled that the federal government cannot force privately held corporations to provide forms of contraceptive coverage that violate the religious beliefs of their owners. The ruling means that private companies can opt out of the Affordable Health Care Act’s contraception mandate.