Finance & Capital Management

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. 

Books continue to be a tough sell at Books-A-Million, which reported a decline in revenue and same store sales in the first quarter.

Revenue at Books-A-Million fell 1.9% in the first quarter ended May 2, compared to the prior year quarter. Total sales fell to $101.8 million, while the net loss was cut to $5.3 million from $5.6 million. Same store sales dropped 0.9%.

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

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

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.

Walmart is furthering its $100 million commitment to industry workforce development with a big grant to the NRF Foundation.

An $800,000 grant from Walmart to the NRF Foundation will work with employers to determine the competencies needed in the industry and the potential for a new industry-validated credentialing program to help store and distribution center employees advance their careers.

Dollar Tree has agreed to sell 330 of its stores to the private-equity firm Sycamore Partners in order to get regulatory approval for its $8.5 billion purchase of Family Dollar.

Sycamore Partners intends to operate the 330 stores, which represent approximately $45.5 million of operating income for Family Dollar, under the Dollar Express banner.

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.