Retail

New York -- Leslie Dach, EVP corporate affairs for Wal-Mart Stores, will step down in June. The retailer, which announced the news in a memo to employees, said it is actively searching for a replacement. The news was first reported by Politico.

"Leslie has played a pivotal role in helping us understand the broader role Walmart can play in meeting the major challenges facing society today, and social goals are now an integral part of how we run our business," Wal-Mart chief executive Mike Duke in the memo.

New York -- Foot Locker Inc. on Friday said its fourth quarter profit rose to $104 million from $81 million a year earlier.

Sales jumped 14% to $1.71 billion, including the benefit of an extra week. Same-store sales rose 7.9%.

For fiscal year 2012, which included 53 weeks, the company reported net income of $397 million, compared to $278 million a year earlier.

Total sales increased 9.9% in 2012 to $6.182 million, compared with sales of $5.623 million last year. Same-store sales were up 9.4% in 2012.

Seattle -- Nordstrom announced two new locations for Nordstrom Rack, with stores planned for Chicago and Jacksonville, Fla.

In Jacksonville, Nordstrom Rack will open in The Markets at Town Center in Jacksonville, Fla. The approximately 35,000-sq.-ft. store is scheduled to open in fall 2013.

The announcement follows recently announced plans to open a Nordstrom full-line store at St. Johns Town Center in fall 2014. Nordstrom currently operates nine full-line stores and eight Rack stores throughout Florida.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores on Thursday launched a new section on its website dedicated to products from small, women-owned businesses around the world.  

More than 200 items from 19 businesses in nine countries are featured in the new "Empowering Women Together" section of Walmart.com. The launch comes a day before International Women's Day.

New York -- More than half (53%) of industry leaders believe that improving customers’ retail experience is essential to creating a successful mobile payments scheme, according to a recent survey by SAP.

The study, SAP’s third consecutive GSMA Mobile World Congress survey, found that the “secret sauce” for creating a better retail experience includes POS services such as near-field communication (28%), facilitating universal acceptance of mobile payments (25%) and location-based point-of-sale offerings (24%).

Hackensack, N.J. -- Crossroads Cos. said that frozen yogurt franchise RCD Frozen Treats will open a 1,750-sq.-ft. store at Riverfront Plaza, located in Hackensack, N.J.

RCD Treats is a franchise of Go Greenly.

Riverfront Plaza is a 130,000-sq.-ft. neighborhood shopping center anchored by ShopRite. Other national retailers and service providers at the center include Chase Bank, GNC, H&R Block, KFC, Radio Shack, Subway, Supercuts, Taco Bell and Verizon Wireless.

Philadelphia -- Jones Lang LaSalle announced Wednesday that it has closed the sale of Red Lion Plaza for Onyx Equities and Invesco Real Estate. A private buyer purchased the 229,204-sq.-ft. retail shopping center that is located in northeast Phildelphia, is 95% occupied, and anchored by Best Buy, Staples, American Signature and Planet Fitness.

Naples, Fla. -- Brixmor Property Group said that Big Lots will open a new store at Park Shore Shopping Center, located in Naples, Fla.

The 35,080-sq.-ft. store will open this year. Park Shore is owned and operated by Brixmor, based in New York City.