Finance & Capital Management

We are in a golden age of big data and analytics in which technology enables retailers to be more lean, efficient and competitive than ever. There are companies with solutions that address everything from pricing optimization and marketing effectiveness to optimal modular assortments and cybersecurity threats.

Toronto - Sears Canada Inc. has closed a transaction to sell and leaseback three properties to Concord Pacific Group of Companies. The transaction, originally announced on March 11, 2015, has closed for total proceeds of $140 million.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears Holding Group Inc. has filed a $1.57 billion subscription rights offering with the SEC for its real estate investment trust (REIT) known as Seritage Growth Properties. The offering would give Sears shareholders the right to buy up to 53.3 million shares of the REIT at a share price of $29.58.

Seritage also plans to sell 9.5 million class C non-voting shares to Fairholme Capital Management LLC, Sears’ second-largest shareholder, at the same price. This would give Fairholme a roughly 12% stake in Seritage.

Franklin, Tenn. – Retailers lose $1.1 trillion worldwide due to inventory distortion. According to new research from IHL Group, by fixing problems such as out-of-stocks and excess inventory from overstocks, retailers could improve their revenues by 7.5%.

The combined cost of poor merchandise planning alone equals $452 billion. Inventory distortion costs retailers nearly $158 for every person on the planet, and $252.2 billion annually in North America. The Asia/Pacific region contributes 39% of all inventory distortion.

New York -- Amazon.com is going big in Texas with the announcement that it will open its fourth fulfillment center in the state.

The new 500,000-sq.-ft., which is currently under construction, will be located at the northeast corner of Interstate 45 and Interstate 20 in Dallas and will bring about 500 new jobs to the area when the facility opens early in 2016. It will process smaller items, such as books, electronics and consumer goods.

Things are looking up for yogawear retailer Lululemon Athletica Inc., which reported a large increase in revenue from online sales in the first quarter.

The West Coast port dispute and traffic declines due to weather led to a big loss for Christopher & Banks Corp. in the first quarter.

Brisbane, Calif. – Manny Mashouf, founder and chairman of Bebe Stores Inc., intends to gradually sell off his 59% majority ownership stake in the company. Bebe has filed a registration statement with the SEC for a proposed secondary offering of about 46.9 million shares associated with Mashouf.

Mashouf will sell the shares during a reasonable period of time. Bebe will not receive any proceeds from the sale.