Finance & Capital Management

New York -- The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index, which tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending, rose in December 2013. The Index, which comprises four components, tax burden, initial unemployment claims, real wages and real home prices, increased to 4.3 in December from 3.9 the prior month.

Following its fourth-quarter results, Kimberly-Clark plans to pursue targeted growth initiatives and support growth opportunities with increased advertising and research spending.

The company’s net sales of $5.3 billion were even with the year-ago period. Organic sales, which exclude the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates and lost sales as a result of European strategic changes and pulp and tissue restructuring actions, rose 5%, including an 11% increase in K-C International.  

New York — Covo Trattoria has leased restaurant space at 3660 Broadway at the intersection with West 151st Street, a prominent corner in the Hamilton Heights district of Upper Manhattan. The space includes 1,500 sq. ft. on the ground floor and a full basement. Covo Trattoria anticipates opening in the spring.

The eatery has two existing locations in West Harem. At the Hamilton Heights location, Covo Trattoria will join neighbors The Grange, The Chipped Cup, Harlem Public and The Heights Tavern.

Miller Zell, a retail design and implementation firm headquartered in Atlanta, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Harmon B. “Sandy” Miller founded Miller Zell in 1964 as a printing firm focused on point-of-sale promotions and fulfillment. As the retail landscape changed, Miller Zell evolved to offer comprehensive store design services aimed at improving the customer experience, while controlling implementation costs and creating greater efficiency throughout the production, storage and installation process.
 

Denver  — The Bridal Collection has leased an 18,030-sq.-ft. location at Fairways Plaza in Centennial, Colo. Fairways is a 121,256-sq.-ft. neighborhood center.

Transwestern represented the landlord, LNR Partners, in the transaction.

The bridal boutique has planned a May opening.

Procter & Gamble said second-quarter results were in line with company expectations, and projected solid growth for the second half of the fiscal year.

Second-quarter net totaled $22.3 billion, unchanged from the year-ago period. Organic sales grew 3%.

Diluted net earnings per share were $1.18, a decrease of 15% versus a base period that included a 21 cents per share holding gain resulting from P&G’s purchase of the balance of its baby care and feminine care joint venture in Iberia.

Washington, D.C. – The FBI has reportedly issued a confidential report to U.S. retailers warning that more cyber attacks like the ones recently suffered by Target and Neiman Marcus will occur. According to Reuters, the three-page report was distributed Jan. 17 and informs retailers that the FBI has discovered in the past year there have been at least 20 attacks using the same type of malware used against Target.

Atlanta -- Global Payments Inc. will acquire Payment Processing, Inc. (PayPros). PayPros, based in California, is a provider of fully-integrated payment solutions for 58,000 small-to-medium sized retailers in the U.S.