Finance & Capital Management

Goodlettsville, Tenn. -- Dollar General Corp. on Tuesday posted a bigger-than-expected increase in quarterly profit and total sales in line with Wall Street expectations. But the chain said it remained cautious about the rest of the year, amid heightened pricing competition and

Dollar General said it plans to open approximately 635 stores in fiscal 2013, including some 20 Dollar General Market stores and 40 Dollar General Plus stores. The company also plans to remodel or relocate a total of approximately 550 stores.

Laval, Quebec City -- Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. announced that it has signed, through its wholly owned indirect subsidiary, Mac's Convenience Stores LLC, an agreement to acquire 29 stores, 25 stores are located in Illinois, three in Missouri and one in Oklahoma. The transaction is anticipated to close in December 2012.

All the stores would eventually be rebranded under the Circle K brand. Couche-Tard’s Midwest division would operate 28 of them and the other one would be operated by the Southwest division.

CHICAGO — OfficeMax has appointed EVP, CFO and CAO Bruce Besanko, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, to the USO of Illinois’ board of directors. Besanko will join the USO's finance committee and serve a three-year term.

A 4.1% third quarter same store sales decline and $105 million loss hasn’t diminished holiday spirits at Toys "R" Us.

The company reported the sales decline for the period ended October 27 late Friday and attributed a portion of the dip in same store sales to a less promotional stance and an earlier start to its layaway program. The layaway program was launched on September, seven weeks before the end of the third quarter, but sales related to items placed in layaway can not be recognized until customers pick up their orders.

Particularly in the current economy, it is not uncommon for purchasers, anywhere along the supply-to-distribution chain, to claim financial distress and file for bankruptcy relief.

How can a person or entity hope to collect on debts owed by a "bankrupt" purchaser? What follows is a primer on bankruptcy terms and procedures, as well as steps an unsecured creditor may follow to be in the best position to collect on what is owed without incurring substantial attorneys’ fees.

New York -- Toys “R” Us posted a wider loss for its fiscal third quarter due primarily to an increase in interest expenses. The retailer said it lost $105 million for the quarter ended Oct. 27, compared with a loss of $93 million in the year-ago period.

Toys “R” Us attributed the wider loss to a $29 million increase in its interest expenses due to an issuance of senior notes and repayment of other senior note

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — As part of its 12 Days of Giving Facebook campaign, Walmart will distribute more than $1.5 million to 140 grant recipients in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., throughout the next 12 days.

The winning nonprofits were selected from more than 21,677 nominations submitted in November by Facebook users who felt compelled to enter and describe the community impact made by their favorite nonprofit organizations.

BOSTON — Wayfair.com, an online retailer of home goods and furnishings, has raised $36.3 million in new equity financing to fuel the growth of its private sale site for the home, Joss & Main.

Joss & Main has fared extremely well for Wayfair.com, having acquired nearly three million members and operating at a $100 million annual revenue run-rate. Investors include Battery Ventures, Great Hill Partners, HarbourVest Partners and Spark Capital.