Finance & Capital Management

St. Louis -- Build-A-Bear Workshop said its total revenue fell 5% in the first quarter amid harsh winter weather between Valentine’s Day and Easter in North America.  

The chain’s profit for the quarter, ended March 29, totaled a better-than-expected $8.3 million, compared with from $5.1 million in the year-ago period.

Total revenues were $93.4 million, less than expected, compared to $97.9 million in year-ago period. Revenue was also negatively impacted by fiscal 2014 having a 53rd week, the company said.

Store closures led Office Depot sales to decline in the first quarter, but the retailer still reported a sizable bump in profit.

Sam’s Club is celebrating National Small Business Week in a very big way.

The retailer is launching the Small Business Economic Mobility initiative (SBEM), a five-year investment in small business growth through increased access to capital and borrower education, with grants totaling $13.6 million to eight national nonprofits.

Merriam, Kansas -- Ikea announced it had officially plugged-in Kansas’ largest rooftop solar array, atop its recently opened store in Merriam. The 92,000-sq.-ft. solar array consists of a 730.17-kW DC system, comprised of 2,394 panels, and will produce approximately 986,800 kWh of electricity annually for the store, the equivalent of reducing 680 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Ann Arbor, Mich. - Domino's Pizza has opened in its third new market so far in 2015, as the first Domino's store in the Republic of Georgia opened the capital city of Tbilisi. Domino's Pizza in Georgia is a joint venture between Turkven, Domino's master franchisee in Turkey, and Geo Pizza LLC, led by CEO Tea Shengelia.

Oak Brook, Ill. -- Retail Properties of America announced that it has closed on the off-market acquisition of a 38,000-sq.-ft. community center located in Tysons Corner, which is in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore corridor.

Recently renovated in 2012, the property is anchored by Golfsmith and shadow-anchored by Best Buy. It is also supported by national fast-causal restaurant offerings including Chipotle, Chick-fil-A and Roti. The property was purchased off-market for approximately $31.6 million.

Nordstrom may well be the first public company to have three presidents as co-presidents.

Chicago -- True Value Company, one of the world’s largest hardware cooperatives, announced that Deborah O’Connor will join the company as senior VP and CFO, succeeding current CFO David Shadduck who left True Value effective April 30.