FINANCE

  • Star power helps boost sales at Express Inc.

    Buoyed by strong holiday sales, Express reported impressive results for its fourth quarter as the company’s turnaround remained on track. The chain issued an upbeat earnings forecast for the full year.

    The specialty retailer reported better-than-expected net income of $56.1 million, or 67 cents per share compared to $41.8 million, or 49 cents per share, in the year-ago period.

  • Pier 1 Imports sales better than expected

    Customers responded favorably to holiday promotions at Pier 1 during the fourth quarter and the retailer is poised for an even better spring now that it plans a return to TV advertising.

  • Retail bankruptcies and the circle of life

    The last several years have seen numerous chapter 11 bankruptcies with the most recent being The Sport Authority. It may seem counterintuitive, but bankruptcies are a sign of vibrant industry and give rise to new opportunities for those who know where to look.

  • Fred's gets February sales lift

    Fred’s Super Dollar continues to see sales increases as 2016 continues. The company reported Thursday that for the four weeks ending Feb. 27, it saw net sales of $171.1 million, a 12% increase over the same period last year. The announcement follows January’s sales, which also increased 12% over the same four weeks in 2015. Comparable store sales rose 0.8% for the month, compared to flat comps in February 2015.

  • Teen apparel retailer hires financial advisors

    Pacific Sunwear of California has hired financial advisors to help deal with its maturing debt, according to The Wall Street Journal.

    In 2011, PacSun received a $100 million credit line from Wells Fargo and a $60 million loan from an affiliate of Golden Gate Capital. Both loans will be due in December, the report said.

    Similar to other teen retailers, PacSun has been dealing with increased online competition and a shift in teen spending. The company has had three consecutive quarters of declining sales and negative same-store sales.

  • Winter Storm Jonas hurts revenue at Big Lots

    Big Lots says harsh winter weather hurt traffic counts and revenue, but the closeout retailer still posted increases in same-store sales for the fourth quarter.

    Big Lots reported income from continuing operations of $94.7 million, or $1.91 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter ended Jan. 30. Revenue dropped to $1.58 billion from $1.59 billion for the same quarter last year. Same-store sales increased 0.7%.It was the eighth consecutive quarter in which Big Lots has posted positive same-store sales.

  • CST Brands puts itself up for sale

    Convenience store chain CST Brands has addedtwo new independent directors to its board and announced it plans to pursue “strategic alternatives” that could include selling the company.

    The company says the strategic review process will be comprehensive and will include a fresh look at several of CST's previously announced strategic initiatives and plans.

  • Staples offers FTC justification for Office Depot acquisition

    Another set of weak quarterly results from Staples and another round of store closures could give the Federal Trade Commission more evidence to support Staples long-running effort to acquire Office Depot.

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