Finance & Capital Management

Vernon, Calif. - True Religion Apparel Inc. has named John Ermatinger CEO, effective immediately. Current CEO David Conn is stepping down.

Ermatinger has been serving as True Religion’s interim senior VP of global sourcing and production will build on the strategic initiatives that have been implemented since TowerBrook’s acquisition in July 2013 and will guide the company into its next phase of development.

Fremont, Calif. - The Men's Wearhouse, Inc. has named Ben Baum as executive VP and chief digital officer, reporting to Doug Ewert, CEO. In this newly created position, Baum will lead all digital and omnichannel commerce and initiatives across digital, mobile and emerging platforms.

Baum previously served as chief digital officer of Bebe Stores Inc.; head of business development, multichannel retail, shopping at Google Inc.; and several merchandising positions at Target, including women's apparel and segmentation merchandising.

Goodlettsville, Tenn. – Dollar General Corp. beat Wall Street expectations for profit but missed on sales in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. Net income totaled $253 million, up 14% from $222 million the same period the prior year.

Higher initial inventory markups, improved inventory shrink rate and lower transportation costs helped boost net income. Net sales increased 9% to $4.92 billion, compared to $4.52 billion. Same-store sales increased 3.7%, resulting from increases in both customer traffic and average transaction amount.

The Woodlands, Texas – Conn’s Inc. managed to beat Wall Street expectations with a 44% net income slide in the first quarter of fiscal 2016. Net income fell to $15.7 million from $28.5 million the same quarter a year earlier, with costs related to store closures, relocations and legal and professional fees contributing.

Fairfax, Va. – The “unnamed strategic bidder” who outbid Hot Topic to purchase Geeknet Inc. has been revealed. GameStop Corp. will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Geeknet’s common stock for $20 per share in cash, or about $140 million.

Strong sales of tobacco products, candy and snacks helped drive Dollar General's same-store sales up nearly 4% in the first quarter as the company celebrates its 12,000th store opening this month.

Sales and credit delinquencies weighed on Conn's Inc. in the first quarter even as the company continues to explore the sale of its loan portfolio. 

The architect of the reinvention of Domino's Pizza will become the next CEO of Toys"R"Us in July.

David A. Brandon will succeed Antonio Urcelay, as he is retiring from the company.

Brandon, 63, has deep experience in growing businesses, developing talent and building high-performance cultures that enable organizations to create and capture value.

A Wolverine World Wide executive is joining the Neiman Marcus Group as executive VP, COO and CFO.

Kohl’s is joining Walmart and other retailers in stepping up to help with flood relief efforts in Texas and Oklahoma.

Kohl’s has announced it will be donating $100,000 to the American Red Cross, which is delivering much-needed emergency supplies and services in the impacted areas. In addition to a financial contribution, Kohl’s encourages its associates to volunteer in support of cleanup efforts through its Associates in Action volunteer program.