Finance & Capital Management

The struggling Justice brand and the West Coast port dispute held back Ascena Retail Group Inc. in the third quarter as the company awaits its acquisition of Ann Inc. to close later in 2015.

New York -- The chief economist for the National Retail Federation on Monday released his Monthly Economic Review and the good news is that the gloomy economic indicators seen during the first half of the year will give way to brighter opportunities for economic growth during second half of year.

Philadelphia -- Five Below will grand open a distribution center in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, on June 3, with shipping out of the new 1 million sq.-ft. center beginning in July.

Located in Pedricktown, N.J., the center will replace the company's existing 421,000-sq.-ft. facility located 12 miles away in New Castle, Delaware. Five Below will occupy approximately 700,000 sq. ft. of the facility to start, with plans to grow to a million square feet over time.

Cincinnati -- Kroger Co. plans to bring nearly 650 jobs to new centers in a suburban city in southwest Ohio.

Kroger and Ohio officials announced Monday the $46 million investment by Kroger in buildings and renovations for a distribution center and a business administration center for customer service, human resources recruiting and digital innovation in Blue Ash.

The rebound in the nation’s economy is boosting retail sales and spurring an uptick in the number of retailers seeking to expand their presence in existing markets or grow into new trade areas. However, the boom does have a downside for those tenants, as most are finding out.

Irvine, Calif.  -- Boot Barn Holdings announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sheplers, a 116-year old western lifestyle company with 25 stores across the United States. The purchase price was put at $147 million in cash.

By rebranding the Sheplers stores to the Boot Barn banner, consistent with the strategies of its prior two acquisitions, Boot Barn will enhance its store footprint by adding eight new retail markets and build its position in Texas and Colorado.

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. -- Dollar General on Saturday hit another milestone, opening its 12,000th store in the small town of Juliette, Georgia.
 

Chicago -- Retailers looking for opportunities in emerging markets should look East, particularly to China, which ranks as the top country in A.T. Kearney’s annual Global Retail Development Index (GRDI). China, which returns to number one in the GRDI rankings for the first time since 2010, is expected to surpass the United States as the world's largest retail market by 2018.

Fast growing retailer Five Below is bolstering it supply chain capabilities in the northeast with a new facility that will eventually exceed one million square feet.

The retailer of of value merchandise for teens announced the it will open a new distribution center in Oldmans Township, N.J. The 1,045,000 square-foot facility, located at 5 Gateway Boulevard, Pedricktown, N.J., will replace the company's existing 421,000 square foot facility located 12 miles away in New Castle, Del.

Dollar General has hit another milestone, this time in the small town of Juliette, Georgia.