Finance & Capital Management

Home Depot posted a better-than-expected fourth quarter performance, but warned that a strong dollar could hurt its results for the year.

The retailer posted an 8.3% increase in sales to $19.2 billion, and fourth quarter net earnings were up 36.1% to $1.38 billion. Same store sales for the quarter were positive 7.9%, and positive 8.9% for U.S. stores.

As Macy’s undergoes aggressive changes to better compete in an omnichannel retailing world, the company reported a decline in profit for the fourth quarter.

For the quarter ended Jan. 31, profit fell to $793 million from $811 million. Per-share earnings were $2.26 a share, up from $2.16 a share a year earlier. Same store sales grew 1.7% Revenue increased 1.8% to $9.36 billion.

San Jose, Calif. – Almost all retail IT decision-makers feel vulnerable to insider data security threats. According to the 2015 Insider Threat Report from enterprise data security provider Vormetric, 93% of U.S. retail respondents reported they were "somewhat" or more vulnerable to insider threats.

Best Buy is looking to drive growth through innovation by opening a new technology center in the Seattle area this spring.

The company joins a growing array of retailers, including Staples and Sears, that have been opening or expanding offices in Seattle in order to tap into the city’s wealth of tech talent.

Fairfax, Va. – A competitive promotional environment and delivery problems had a negative impact on net income and revenues at Geeknet, parent company of online retailer ThinkGeek.com and licensed merchandise distributor ThinkGeek Solutions, during the fourth quarter and full year 2014. Net income for fourth quarter 2014 was $1 million, down 80% from net income of $5.1 million in the same period a year earlier.

Total revenue for fourth quarter 2014 was $72.4 million, a decrease of 3% from $74.3 million.

Lingerie retailer Frederick’s of Hollywood is reportedly closing at least 31 of its 93 stores as part of a broader re-engineering effort. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, Great American Group is overseeing liquidation sales at 31 stores, including the flagship location in Los Angeles. The number of stores to be shuttered may rise slightly.

Los Angeles – Frederick’s of Hollywood is reportedly closing at least 31 of its 93 stores as part of a broader re-engineering effort. According to the Wall Street Journal, Great American Group is overseeing liquidation sales at 31 stores, including the flagship location in Los Angeles.