Finance & Capital Management

BALDWYN, Miss. — Hancock Fabrics reported that net sales for the second quarter increased 5% to $60.5 million from $57.8 million for second quarter of last year, and comparable-store sales improved by 5%.

Earnings per share increased by 3 cents, or $0.6 million with a net loss of $3.3 million, or 17 cents per basic share, in the second quarter of fiscal 2012 compared to a net loss of $3.9 million, or 20 cents per basic share in the second quarter of fiscal 2011.

MINNEAPOLIS — Nash Finch Company, a Minneapolis-based food distributor, has joined with Leevers Foods, a North Dakota based grocery operator,  to provide funding for resource rooms for the Devils Lake, ND School District and St. Joseph’s Elementary School. The resource rooms will be fully operational and available to students when school starts this year, and each room will be equipped with 10 iPads. The two companies are also establishing and an annual scholarship, The Leevers Family Scholarship Fund.

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — The first of 39 former Zellers stores in Canada celebrated its grand opening as a Walmart store Friday.

According to Walmart Canada, the 69,000 sq. ft. store located in Newmarket, Ontario, will feature easy-to-navigate aisles with directional signage, and a bright interior colour palette, which help define the store's merchandise areas, and lower shelving throughout for an improved sightline. In addition, a pharmacy has been added to the store making it even easier for customers to find everything they need.

New York -- A switch to LED lighting technology in its refrigerated coolers has resulted in combined energy and maintenance savings of more than $1 million annually for convenience store operator Wawa.

The new technology, Immersion from GE Lighting Solutions, has been installed in Wawa’s 600 locations across the Mid-Atlantic region, and has reduced refrigerated cooler/freezer electricity and maintenance expense by a combined 78% since its adoption.

Warrendale, Pa. -- Rue 21 earned a better-than-expected $9.1 million for the quarter ended July 28, up from $7.7 million in the same quarter last year.

Revenue rose 17% to $202.1 million, from $172.8 million. Same-store sales rose 0.5%, well below analyst expectations.

New York -- The store opening plans of retailers hit a four-year high in July, according to the August edition of the National Retailer Demand Monthly report from RBC Capital Markets and Retail Lease Trac.

Retailers in the RBC database currently plan to open 78,325 stores over the next 24 months, which represents an 11% increase over openings projected at the end of 2011, and a 0.6% increase over June’s level.

New York -- Bebe Stores Inc. reported that net income for the second quarter fell 36.2% to $3 million, from $4.7 million in the year-earlier quarter.

Revenue in the quarter fell 0.6% to $131.5 million from last year. Same-store sales fell 2.5%.
 

New York -- Advisors to Supervalu Inc. are asking potential buyers to bid for the entire operation, even as several suitors have inquired about individual parts of the U.S. grocery company, according to a report by Bloomberg News.

In July, Supervalu said it was looking at options for overhauling the company, including a sale. The chain hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Greenhill & Co as advisors.
 

The nation’s leading closeout retailer offered a bleak outlook for the remainder of the year following worse than expected second quarter results and announced the departure of its top merchant.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Pacific Sunwear of California reported that net sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 ended July 28, were $210.3 million versus net sales of $200.9 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2011 ended July 30, 2011.

On a GAAP basis, the xompany reported a loss from continuing operations of $17.5 million, or 26 cents per share, for the second quarter of fiscal 2012, compared with a loss from continuing operations of $17.5 million, or 26 cents per share, for the second quarter of fiscal 2011.