Finance & Capital Management

The growth of e-commerce contributed to an 8% increase in average daily FedEx Ground volume, but severe winter weather exacted a heavy toll on the company’s profitability.

Cincinnati — Phillips Edison-ARC Grocery Center REIT II has acquired its first grocery-anchored shopping center — the 81,674-sq.-ft. Bethany Village in Alpharetta, Ga., an affluent suburb of Atlanta.

A 51,674-sq.-ft. Publix anchors the center. Publix is the number one grocer by market share in the Atlanta metropolitan statistical area. Other national tenants at Bethany Village include Marco’s Pizza, Subway and Workout Anytime.

Pacific Sunwear overcame weak mall traffic and bad weather to log its eighth consecutive quarter of same-store sales growth with a 2% comp increase in the fourth quarter.

The teen and young adult retailer said sales from continuing operations during the quarter ended Feb. 1 totaled $218.6 million compared to sales of $222.8 million during the fourth quarter the prior year, a period which included the benefit of an additional week which added sales of $9 million. PacSun ended its most recent fiscal year with 618 stores compared to 644 in the year earlier period.

Katy, Texas -- Sporting goods retailer Academy Sports + Outdoors will continue its Midwestern expansion push with plans to open four new stores across Indiana and Kentucky later this fall.
 
The first two locations — Evansville, Ind., and Owensboro, Ky. — will mark Academy's entry into both states followed by the opening of stores in Louisville and Middletown, Ky., prior to the holidays.

Phoenix -- Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. has filed a Registration Statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the proposed sale in an underwritten offering of up to 15 million shares of its common stock by affiliates of Apollo Global Management LLC and certain other stockholders of the company. Sprouts is not selling any shares and will not receive any proceeds of this offering.

Flat fourth-quarter same-store sales didn’t deter DSW from elevating its outlook for physical store locations while also increasing investments related to omnichannel capabilities.

Columbus, Ohio – DSW Inc. reported a net income increase in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 compared to the same period a year earlier, even as net sales dipped. Fourth quarter net income rose 4% to $28.1 million from $27.1 million, while net sales declined 4% to $572 million from $594 million and same-store sales remained flat.

GE has appointed Charles Nugent as VP, manufacturing, for GE Oil & Gas, reporting to Lorenzo Simonelli, SVP and CEO of GE Oil & Gas.

GE has 192 officers globally who lead large revenue-generating businesses or are in critical technology or functional roles, charged with helping to drive growth.

Nugent has been with the company for 30 years, holding a number of leadership roles in plant management and operations with GE Aviation. Most recently, he served as senior executive of product management at GE Aviation.