Finance & Capital Management

Goodlettsville, Tenn. — Dollar General announced Thursday that David Tehle, executive VP and CFO, will retire from Dollar General effective July 1, 2015. The retailer has started a search for a successor and will consider both internal and external candidates for the job.

The Children’s Place Inc. on Thursday accelerated its store closing plans to 200 stores through 2017 (including 76 stores closed in 2013 and 2014), up from its previous announced target of 125 stores through 2016.

New York -- Walgreens Boots Alliance may soon be on the hunt for its next acquisition target in the United States, Stefano Pessina, executive vice chairman and acting CEO Walgreens Boots Alliance, told attendees of the Retail Week Live conference here on Thursday, according to a Reuters report.

Bon-Ton plans to refocus the brand, expand omnichannel efforts and open an e-commerce fulfillment center on the heels of a successful fourth quarter.

The company saw an increase in net income in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 to $71.7 million, up 17% from net income of $61.3 million in the same quarter of the previous fiscal year.

Bolingbrook, Ill. -- Ulta Beauty is running strong. On Thursday, the fast-growing beauty products and services retailer posted fourth quarter profit and revenue that topped Wall Street expectations, including an 11.1% jump in same-store sales. It also announced plans for 100 net new stores in fiscal 2015, for a 13% increase in total square footage.

Ulta reported net earnings of $87.3 million for the quarter ended January 31, up 21.6% from $70.7 million in the year-ago period.

Jacksonville, Fla. – Stein Mart Inc. had a generally successful fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 and plans to open 11 new stores, close two stores and relocate one store during fiscal 2015. The off-price retailer reported net income of $12.3 million, up 66% from $7.4 million the same quarter a year earlier and driven by higher gross profit and lower selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses.

Net sales rose 7% to $387 million, from $360.79 million. Same-store sales increased 5.6%.

Moorestown, N.J. – Destination Maternity Corp. swung from profit to loss during the four-month period ended Jan. 31, 2015. This period marks the transition period related to the company's previously announced fiscal year-end change from Sept. 30 to the Saturday nearest Jan. 31 each year.

Destination Maternity reported a net loss of $17.38 million, compared to net income of $3.09 million in the same period a year earlier. Higher cost of goods sold and a variety of impairment charges pushed Destination Maternity into the red.

New York - Nearly 80% of all businesses fail their interim PCI compliance assessment, leaving them vulnerable to cyberattacks. According to Verizon’s 2015 PCI Compliance Report, 69% of all consumers are less inclined to do business with a breached organization, making compliance with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) critical.