Finance & Capital Management

Oak Brook, Ill. – U.S. same-store sales dropped 1.4% at McDonald’s Corp. during February 2014, with global same-store sales declining 0.3%.

Other segment same-store results for McDonald’s during the month included a 0.6% increase in Europe and a 2.6% decrease in Asia-Pacific/Middle East/Africa (APMEA). The company cited severe weather and challenging industry dynamics in affecting its U.S. same-store sales performance.

As other retailers make headlines for store closings, Ross Stores’ 2014 expansion plans remain on track. The off-price retailer has already opened 30 Ross Dress for Less and seven dd's Discounts stores in 14 different states, and there's more to come.

Essen, Germany – German supermarket chain Aldi Nord has selected the SAP for Retail solution portfolio to support its dynamic growth and modernize its retailing. The standard enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution will replace the company’s previous in-house system and will be used to manage retail processes at all company locations, from orders and warehouse management to store deliveries.

Plano, Texas – Two major J.C. Penney Co. Inc. executives who left the company in April 2013 did so without receiving severance pay. According to a regulatory filing from Penney, neither former CEO Ron Johnson nor former chief talent officer Daniel Walker were paid any severance when they left the retailer.

Columbus, Ohio — Lane Bryant has opened a new store at The Shops at Pembroke Gardens, a lifestyle center in Pembroke Pines, Fla.

The grand opening celebration will take place March 7 – 9. Lane Bryant, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ascena Retail Group, owns and operates 805 stores nationwide.
 

Foothill Ranch, Calif. -- The Wet Seal Inc. has appointed Deena Varshavskaya, Nancy Lublin and Adam Rothstein as new independent members of the company’s board of directors. The appointments expand the size of the board from seven to nine members.

Dublin, Calif. -- Ross Stores recently opened a total of 30 Ross Dress for Less and seven DD’s Discounts stores in 14 different states. These openings are part of the off-price retailer's 2014 expansion plans for about 95 new stores, which will include continuing to build presence in existing markets and grow in the newer markets initially entered in 2011.

Ross believes that long-term expansion opportunities include 2,000 Ross Dress for Less stores and 500 DD’s Discounts stores.

According to reports, eBay is urging shareholders to reject a slate of board members nominated by activist investor Carl Icahn and instead support nominees picked by the company.

Reuters has reported that eBay is asking shareholders to re-elect existing directors CEO John Donahoe, company co-founder and managing director Fred Anderson, Intuit co-founder Scott Cook and former Agilent Technologies CEO Edward Barnholt.