Finance & Capital Management

Village Super Market, which operates a chain of 29 supermarkets under the ShopRite name in New Jersey, Maryland and eastern Pennsylvania, saw net income fall 69% during the second quarter, compared to the same period in the prior year, driven in part by flat same-store sales.

Founded as a “cook your own steak” restaurant in an abandoned gas station in 1974, Quaker Steak & Lube has evolved into one of the nation’s most up-and-coming casual-dining chains, renowned for its award-winning chicken wings and flavorful — make that hot — sauces. But as much as the food offerings have changed at “The Lube,” the brand remains true to its gas station and vintage car-loving roots.

Hold department managers accountable for safety to promote better loss control

From mat management to the use of proper cleaning products, prevention is, of course, key to slip and fall management in retail stores. But there are two additional key areas that should be addressed — management communication and accountability. Indeed, sharing information and holding department managers accountable for results can reap numerous benefits for a company.

Speaking with Ron Goldstone, senior VP at Southfield, Mich.-based Farbman Group really got my juices flowing about the Midwest retail real estate marketplace — Michigan in particular. The state’s retail real estate market is an interesting candidate for closer study, simply because the Detroit dynamic, even in its extremes, gives us a valuable perspective on the national landscape:

Fort Worth, Texas -- RadioShack Corp. said it plans to close up to 1,100 stores, approximately one-fifth of its total, and also announced a disappointing holiday season and a wider quarterly loss. The shutterings will leave the chain, whose turnaround appears to be still far off, with over 4,000 locations, including more than 900 dealer franchise locations.

Publix’s sales for the fourth quarter of 2013 boosted the company’s stock price from $30 per share to $30.15 per share.

The company reported sales of $7.4 billion, a 5.3% increase from last year’s $7 billion. Comparable-store sales for the fourth quarter of 2013 increased 4.3%.

Net earnings for the fourth quarter of 2013 were $422 million, compared to $392.8 million in 2012, an increase of 7.4%. Earnings per share for the fourth quarter increased to $0.54 for 2013, up from $0.50 per share in 2012.

Atlanta - Michael P. Ryan, operational VP of Aaron’s Inc., has been named VP of franchising. Todd Evans, current VP of franchising, will be leaving Aaron's to pursue other opportunities.

Henri Rogers, senior regional manager for Aaron's Three Rivers region, will succeed Ryan as divisional VP of northern operations.

Tokyo – Mt. Gox, the Japan-based global bitcoin platform which unexpectedly went offline on Feb. 25, 2014, has filed for bankruptcy and publicly stated that hackers may have stolen as much as $500 million worth of bitcoins from the company and its users.