Finance & Capital Management

CVS Caremark’s fourth-quarter results came in at the high end of expectations and helped produce a record year; however, one of the key topics analysts discussed was the company’s recent decision to stop selling tobacco products in all its stores by Oct. 1.

Chicago -- Retail CFOs are feeling more confident about the state of the consumer, forecast a 5.1% increase in total sales and a 4.8% increase in same-store sales this year, according to a new BDO USA survey. The finding marks a significant increase from the number expressing similar sentiments last year.

In the study,  a majority (63%) of CFOs indicate that they include online sales in their comparable sales projections, suggesting that some of this expected growth and optimism may be linked to the exploding popularity of e-commerce.

Shoebuy.com, a leading global online retailer of shoes and clothing, has appointed Anabela Perozek as the company's new chief marketing officer. Perozek joins Shoebuy's senior management team and will report to CEO Mike Sorabella.

Beijing – Chinese e-commerce retailer Alibaba is reportedly planning to open a U.S. e-commerce website through its subsidiaries Vendio and Auctiva. According to Reuters, the site will operate at 11main.com.

Philadelphia – Urban Outfitters reported substantial gains in net sales for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2014. Total company sales in the quarter increased 6% to $906 million, less than Wall Street expected, from $856.8 million in the year-ago period.

Same-store retail segment net sales, which include the direct-to-consumer channel, increased 1%. Same-store retail segment net sales increased 20% at Free People and 10% at Anthropologie and decreased 9% at Urban Outfitters. Wholesale segment net sales rose 24%.

New York – The Jones Group Inc. reported mixed results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2013, with net loss and net sales falling in both periods compared to the same periods a year earlier. Net loss fell to $47.1 million from $80.1 million during the fourth quarter, and to $19.7 million from $55 million during the full year.

However, net sales declined 8.5% to $876.5 million from $958.3 million during the quarter, and fractionally to $3.72 billion from $3.75 billion during the full year.

Indianapolis — Simon Property Group has received zoning approval from the Montgomery County Council in Maryland by unanimous vote for the development of Clarksburg Premium Outlets at Cabin Branch.

Simon Property Group, New England Development and Streetscape Partners make up the development team for the project, which will add 1,500 jobs and more than $150 million in private investment to the local economy. The development team is planning to open Clarksburg Premium Outlets by late 2015.

The Home Depot has opened a new direct fulfillment center (DFC) in the Locust Grove suburb of Atlanta.

It is the first of three new DFCs the company will open across the U.S. in the next two years, adding more than 3 million sq. ft. and approximately 1,000 jobs to its supply chain. The new distribution centers will increase the number of orders the company can ship the day they are received, increasing the speed of delivery for HomeDepot.com orders.