Content about China

BEAVERTON, Ore. — Nike has promoted VP Michael Spillane to VP and GM of Nike’s Greater China geography effective June 1. 

Spillane was most recently the CEO and president of Umbro, which Nike divested of last year. Spillane replaces Craig Cheek who will move to a global role as VP and GM of Nike’s Young Athletes, where he will oversee strategy and drive growth supporting the company’s key categories around the world.

SAN FRANCISCO — Gap is honoring the 70th birthday of Jimi Hendrix with the launch of two limited-edition t-shirt designs. The t-shirts feature art from the iconic musician's new album, People, Hell and Angels, which introduces previously unreleased studio recordings from 1969, the year Gap was founded in San Francisco.

The Global Food Safety Initiative has named three new members to its board of directors. The appointments were effective as of January 2013.

Joining the board are:

John Carter, senior director own brand and product quality assurance, Metro Cash & Carry, Germany

Anthony C. Huggett, VP quality management, Nestlé, Switzerland

Jian Xu, VP China Resources Vanguard Corporation, China

AUSTIN, Minn. — Hormel Foods will acquire the iconic peanut butter brand Skippy from Unilever for approximately $700 million.

Hormel, known for its chili, ham and pork products, looks to balance its portfolio with the non-meat protein product. With peanut butter in a $2 billion category with a 74% household penetration, as well as the second most popular sandwich behind ham in the United States, Hormel will be in a good spot to grow its domestic and global brand presence.

Claire’s Stores has opened its first two stores in China, giving the leading retailer of jewelry and accessories a worldwide presence in 39 countries with nearly 3,500 locations.

The company said it opened stores in the DaNing Life Hub and Grand Gateway Mall in Shanghai and indicated that China represents a significant market opportunity for the Claire's brand.　

SHANGHAI, China and PAWTUCKET, R.I. — Hasbro has entered into a partnership with Alpha Animation, a toy and entertainment company in China, to form a Chinese joint venture company for the co-development of toys and games.

If approved, the joint venture will focus on developing toys from Alpha's popular Blazing Teens brand. A brand from Hasbro’s global portfolio also will be selected for development. Hasbro and Alpha Animation will in turn collaborate to develop these brands for China and global markets.

The Home Depot will close its remaining seven big box stores in China, the company announced late yesterday, in order to shift its focus to specialty stores and online offerings in that market.

MINNEAPOLIS — Best Buy, which at its recent shareholders' meeting said it would offer more technology services, has announced that it is expanding the Best Buy Mobile brand and store-within-a-store concept into 14 Five Star stores throughout Nanjing, China, this summer.

The expansion of Best Buy Mobile into the Chinese market is the first evolution of Global Connect, a partnership that was formed in November 2011 between Best Buy and Carphone Warehouse.

Even though no retailer has done more to enhance food safety in China than Walmart, the company found itself in the headlines again this week as regulators discovered products containing banned ingredients on the retailer’s shelves.

Media reports said Walmart removed products from shelves after a food safety official in Beijing discovered high levels of cadmium in squid and excessive benzopyrene in sesame oil. Walmart said it had received appropriate regulatory documents from suppliers prior to offering the products, according to reports.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart is offering the women who work in the factories that supply its products the chance for a better life with lessons in such critical life skills as communication, hygiene, reproductive health, occuputational health and safety and gender sensitivity. The Women in Factories program, a five-year initiative will benefit 60,000 women working in factories in India, Bangladesh, China and Central America.

News this week that Walmart acquired a majority stake in one of China’s fastest growing e-commerce companies positions Walmart to become a dominant multichannel player in China far faster than it ever would have on its own.

HONG KONG — Walmart's Greg Foran will be packing his bags and heading to China. The SVP for Walmart International has been named CEO of Walmart China, effective March 1, and will relocate to China, pending work visa approval.