Foot Locker Inc. said Thursday that current executive VP and retail group president Richard Johnson as been promoted to COO, giving the company veteran operational oversight of all the retailer’s banners. The appointment is effective immediately.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reported a better-than-expected 9.2% increase in first-quarter profit on increased sales in the United States and a strong performance abroad.

By Gary C. Smith, National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources

Cypress Equities said it has hired Steven Hrbek as property manager for The Streets of Woodfield, located in Schaumburg, Ill.

J.C. Penney Co. reported a wider-than-expected loss of $163 million, or 75 cents a share, for its fiscal quarter ended April 28, 2012, compared with a year-earlier profit of $64 million.

Lorna Jane, the premier Australian activewear brand for women, will open its second U.S. location, in Marina del Rey, Calif., this month.

Golf Town, Canada's largest specialty golf retailer, will acquire Golfsmith International Holdings Inc. for approximately $97.2 million.

A recent report from Jones Lang LaSalle showed that the current state of real estate markets suggests a temporary deceleration in the on-going global real estate market recovery.

Simon Property Group announced that Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th will open a total of seven new stores in the next two years in its Premium Outlets division, including new centers and existing centers.

Best Buy Co. announced that founder Richard Schulze would step down as chairman after an independent board investigation found that he had failed to report allegations of personal misconduct by former CEO Brian Dunn to the board's audit committee.

A report on by the Associated Press said that Kroger chief David Dillon received a 66% bump in pay in 2011, as the grocer surpassed its internal growth targets.

Whole Foods is rewarding customers that live a green lifestyle through a new app it created with Whole Planet Foundation and BlueAvocado.