Finance & Capital Management

Greensboro, N.C. – The Fresh Market Inc. will close its remaining stores in California, which include locations in Palo Alto, Santa Barbara and Laguna Hills, by March 31 in order to focus on higher growth opportunities. The decision comes even as adjustments to promotions and pricing helped drive impressive fourth quarter results.

Seattle – If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Amazon.com is reportedly heeding that old saw with plans to open a store on the Tmall site of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Holding Group.

Columbus, Ohio – Higher gross margin helped Big Lots Inc. increase net income 12% to $94.43 million.

In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 from $84.35 million in the same quarter a year earlier. Net sales climbed 1% to $1.59 billion from $1.57 billion, with same-store sales improving 2.9%.

By Ryan Condren, CPEX Real Estate

Do more with less. That’s an overall trend in retail facilities services, where retailers have less resources to run their properties even as they come under pressure to increase service levels while also reducing costs.

Largest U.S. retail development to open since 2006

Perhaps nothing signifies the resurgence of the U.S. retail market, both on a macro and micro level, more than the long-delayed opening of Downtown Summerlin, in Las Vegas. Opened in October, the open-air center is the largest retail development to debut in the United States since the economic downturn. It has quickly ramped up to become not only one of the hottest retail destinations in the Las Vegas region, but in the entire Western part of the country.

Foot Locker Inc. is riding the wave of shoppers’ growing desire for athletic footwear -- especially trendy basketball shoes -- into all-time record sales.

Putting aside all the challenges at Staples – weak demand, activist investor pressure to change its board and an uphill battle to acquire its largest competitor – one aspect of the company’s business is encouraging.

Although the company’s results for the fourth quarter were not good on either an as reported or adjusted basis, the commercial division achieve respectable sales growth and in the fourth quarter was the most profitable of Staples three business segments.

The Fresh Market will cede some of its market share to its biggest competitor even as it posted strong fourth quarter earnings and an upbeat outlook for 2015.

The company announced that it would be exiting California by the end of this month and closing all three of its remaining stores there, as it focuses on its stores in the eastern part of the United States. The company also cited slower “organic store growth” as another reason for the decision.

Big Lots Inc. did what it was supposed to do in the fourth quarter -- and more, as the discount retailer reported a better-than-expected 3% increase in same store sales.

The company also announced a new omnichannel initiative that it expects to put in place by the first quarter of fiscal 2016. Big Lots has dabbled in online selling in the past, but had discontinued those operations after not getting the strategy down quite right. Now the company says it is looking to fully embrace omnichannel retailing in-store and on its website with a new initiative launching this year.