International Strategy
March 21, 2016 at 11:54 am
Sherwin-Williams, which has long claimed to "cover the Earth" with its paints, is buying rival Valspar for about $9 billion in a move that it says will expand its reach in Asia and Europe. Sherwin-Williams said Sunday that it's paying $113 a share in cash, a 35 percent premium to the closing price of Valspar's stock…
February 24, 2016 at 10:22 am
The striking down of the existing Safe Harbor transatlantic data-transfer agreement has been all the talk of late. And while an agreement was finally reached – a new framework to be known as the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield – there are likely still hurdles to overcome before everything is finalized. Despite reaching this agreement, there may…
February 4, 2016 at 10:21 am
As a U.S.-based e-commerce company, Fanatics’ sweet spot has been in selling sports apparel branded by American teams. But the company has been eyeing European soccer team apparel as its next big opportunity, and has acquired a U.K.-based company to help it break in. Fanatics has paid $17 million to acquire Kitbag, currently owned by Findel,…
February 3, 2016 at 10:04 am
Lowe's is expanding its footprint in Canada with a $2.3 billion acquisition of the home improvement retailer Rona. It's Lowe's second run for the company. Lowe's made a $1.9 billion bid for Rona in 2012, but that deal never went through. Chairman and CEO Robert Niblock said in a written statement Wednesday that the acquisition gives Lowe's…
January 18, 2016 at 8:20 am
Venus Fashion, a retailer of swimwear and fashion, was looking to grow its brand by taking it international. But in order to meet the needs of international customers, the retailer first needed to get a logistics plan in place to efficiently ship its products to foreign lands. In episode 20 of Total Retail Talks, Paula…
December 18, 2015 at 9:32 am
It can be tempting for merchants enjoying a measure of e-commerce success to consider charting a course for overseas expansion. After all, the size and growth rates of international markets can put those of maturing domestic markets to shame. While U.S. online commerce is forecast to average gains of 10 percent through 2019, nascent markets…
December 4, 2015 at 10:04 am
eBay announced a deal to help Chinese businesses export their products overseas, revealing it signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Tianjin Municipal Government designed to further cement eBay China's reputation as an industry leader in retail exports. The idea is to continue flooding eBay's U.S. and European marketplaces with goods from China. In conjunction…
November 25, 2015 at 12:20 pm
A U.S. investigation into potential foreign bribery by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has unearthed evidence of possible misconduct by the retailer in Brazil, after investigators found little to support the sweeping allegations involving Mexico that initially prompted the probe, according to documents and people familiar with the matter. Federal prosecutors are examining $500,000 in payments that…
November 25, 2015 at 12:16 pm
Target Corp. and RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust, one of the retailer's former landlords in Canada, have settled a dispute over the leases the retailer left behind when it scrapped its ill-fated international expansion. The Wall Street Journal reported on the $99 million deal, which covers 18 leases between Target and RioCan and its partners.
November 18, 2015 at 10:07 am
Yet more news of closures at Groupon, the daily deals and local commerce platform. TechCrunch has learned and confirmed that the company has ceased operations immediately in four more countries, all in Europe, where its business has been in decline: Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. The news comes amid a difficult period at Groupon, which has…
