Finance & Capital Management

Butterball has named Kerry Doughty as the company's president and CEO.

"Butterball will benefit from Kerry's leadership, vision and passion for customers and associates as he steps into his new role as president and CEO," said Walter Pelletier, president of Maxwell Farms, which shares equal ownership of Butterball with Seaboard Corporation. "Butterball has a strong legacy of providing quality, great tasting products that families enjoy every day, and Kerry is committed to that tradition."

Skechers was not always a brand one associates with running, but times are changing. The brand’s performance division has signed long-distance runner Kara Goucher to its Performance Elite Team.

The multi-year agreement names Skechers Performance Division as Goucher’s official footwear sponsor and will feature the world-class female runner in global marketing and advertising campaigns.

Expenses associated with a rejected merger with Argonne Capital Group and the planned closing of more than a dozen stores took a chunk out of broad-line retailer Alco’s fourth quarter results.  

Net sales from continuing operations during the quarter decreased 8.9% to $130.9 million, compared to $143.6 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, which had an additional week. Excluding the 14th week of the fiscal 2013 quarter, net sales from continuing operations decreased 4.7%.

New York -- J. Crew Group Inc. is developing a new store format in the budget fashion sector. The company has created a brand called “J. Crew Mercantile,” and filed an application to trademark the phrase for selling clothing and accessories, both online and in stores, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

The trademark application is still pending, the report said. The new brand would sell merchandise and prices that are similar to its J. Crew Factory outlet concept.

Lakeland, Fla. -- Publix reported that its profit rose 4.8% to $493.7 million in its first quarter.  

Sales increased 4.1% to $7.8 billion, with a 4% increase in same-store sales.  

Publix estimated that its sales were negatively impacted by 1.3% due to the later Easter this year.  

Effective May 1, Publix’s stock price increased from $30.15 per share to $32.50 per share. Publix stock is not publicly traded and is available only to current Publix employees and members of its board of directors.

Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning technology is in the midst of a dramatic evolution brought on by a variety of factors, including regulations, retailers’ needs for technological sophistication, operational and cost efficiency, and ease of implementation and use. These and other topics were discussed in the SPECS session, “Evolution, Revolution: The Future of HVAC and Refrigeration.”

Session moderator Bob Keingstein, president of Boss Facility Services, asked panelists to discuss several pointed questions focused on different key areas of the evolution of HVAC.

Redevelopment continues to ignite retail

One of the most fascinating aspects of our ongoing economic recovery is the paradigm shift with respect to commercial development priorities. In the wake of the recession, new development has largely taken a backseat to redevelopment as developers and retailers alike have set their sights on opportunities in core urban markets that have been historically underserved.

Real estate is a complex issue no matter what industry you’re in. For retailers, who typically operate on slim margins and are generally the first industry to feel the effects of variations in consumer spending, navigating the tricky waters of real estate can be especially challenging.

Smart retailers can succeed in a tight real estate market with limited capital

Even as the economy continues on a path of slow improvement, brick-and-mortar retailers still find themselves in a real estate market with few vacancies and even fewer new malls under construction. In addition, corporate management remains reluctant to expend any more capital than it feels is absolutely necessary to meet immediate needs.

Preparation is key when it comes to natural disasters