Consumer Affairs & Relations

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp. on Friday acknowledged that it is reviewing its systems to see if it has been the victim of a security breach. To date, it hasn’t found any indication of a breach, the retailer said.

Sears issued a statement after Bloomberg News reported on Friday that the U.S. Secret Service was investigating a possible breach at Sears. The report cited a person familiar with the investigation.

Sears Holdings late Friday issued a statement confirming that the company is investigating whether it was the victim of a security breach.

"There have been rumors and reports throughout the retail industry of security incidents at various retailers and we are actively reviewing our systems to determine if we have been a victim of a breach," read the statement. "We have found no information based on our review of our systems to date indicating a breach."

New York -- The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index inched up to 81.6 in February from 81.2 in January.

"The most significant implication is not whether consumers have correctly assessed the weather's negative impact on the economy, but the resilience consumers have demonstrated in the face of the polar vortex as well as higher utility bills and minimal employment gains," said survey director Richard Curtain.

Sally Hansen has appointed Madeline Poole as global color ambassador, trend expert and artistic adviser.

Poole will create the nail looks for Sally Hansen's exclusive nail sponsorship with Stella McCartney Collections in 2014. Sally Hansen said that it tapped the up-and-coming nail artist for her expertise in nail color and trends, cool factor, social media following and reputation for creating nail looks with a creative edge.

The Sally Hansen brand will integrate Poole’s designs into its brand advertising, promotion and digital campaigns.  

Aventura, Fla. -- Aventura Mall, in the Miami suburb of Aventura, plans a significant expansion that will include a new three-level, 241,000-sq.-ft. retail wing and parking garage. Construction is expected to begin in 2014.

Located between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Aventura Mall currently measures 2.7 million sq. ft.

Walmart’s release of a sustainable chemistry implementation guide may not sound like the biggest news to come out of Bentonville, but the directives contained in the document are sure to have wide-ranging implications for suppliers’ products.
 

Gap reported a 12.5% decline in fourth-quarter profit, with its results impacted by heavy discounting during the holidays. The retailer also issued a profit outlook for the full year that is below analysts' expectations, and said it will open 30 additional U.S. stores during fiscal year 2014.

Gap reported net income of $307 million for the three-month period ended Feb. 1, better than the Street expected, down from $351 million in the year-ago period.

Chicago -- An overwhelming majority of retail CFOs (96%) expect merger & acquisition (M&A) activity to increase or remain consistent with 2013 levels during 2014. According to the new BDO Retail Compass Survey of CFOs, two-thirds of CFOs anticipate that the majority of deal activity will occur in the U.S., followed distantly by Asia-Pacific (17%) and Europe (8%).