Finance & Capital Management

IKEA plans to open a store of truly epic proportions on a 22 acre site in Burbank, Calif., that will require the home furnishing retailer first demolish 19 existing structures.

New York -- Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) on Tuesday posted a 36% jump in its first quarter profit, easily beating forecasts, and confirmed earlier reports that it plans to open 400 stores in its current fiscal year, with most of the locations in China and the United States. In New York, it will open a 61,000-sq.-ft. flagship — one of the largest H&Ms to date — in Manhattan’s Herald Square area.
   

Off-price retailer Ross Stores feels so good about its sales performance and outlook that it has approved a 2-for-1 stock split scheduled for June.

The company said the split will be paid in the form of a 100% stock dividend to stockholders of record as of April 22. 

Ross Stores had fiscal 2014 revenue of $11 billion. 

Minneapolis – Christopher & Banks Corp. on Tuesday swung to a profit of $32.2 million for the fourth quarter, after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier.

Net sales totaled $98.0 million, as compared to $104.9 million for the year-ago period. During the quarter, the company operated an average of 7.0% fewer stores than during the comparable period last year, reflecting its store conversion program.

The retailer posted revenue of $98 million in the period.

Fresh & Easy plans to close 55 stores, which would leave the chain with about 110 locations, the Orange Country Register<span style="color: rgb(54, 54, 54); font-

New York – Online specialty fashion retailer Revolve focuses heavily on customer experience to stay competitive in a tough market. Revolve has selected Dynamic Action, the Big Data and decision intelligence Application from OrderDynamics, to connect the “critical dots” such as: item level exposure, loyal customers’ return rates, competitive pricing and optimal inventory levels.  

Canton, Mass. - Jack Clare, 44, has been promoted to the newly created position of chief information and strategy officer (CISO) of Dunkin’ Brands. Clare, who has served as the company's CIO for the past three years, will be a member of the Dunkin' Brands leadership team and will continue to report to Paul Carbone, CFO.

Clare will continue to oversee Dunkin' Brands' global information technology resources, and additionally, will now focus on developing the strategies that will drive the company's future success.

The e-commerce world in which Deliv CEO Daphne Carmeli lives is one where the fastest delivery method is also the least expensive. How can that be?