Finance & Capital Management

New York City -- Supervalu has reached an agreement to sell its Total Logistic Control subsidiary to Ryder System for an undisclosed amount.

The subsidiary provides logistics and supply chain management solutions to manage distribution, warehouse and transportation operations for food, drink and packaged-goods companies.

Atlanta -- EarthLink announced that it has completed its acquisition of ITC DeltaCom, a leading provider of integrated communications services to customers in the southeastern United States, in a transaction valued at approximately $524 million.

With the close of the transaction EarthLink will begin integrating its New Edge Networks and EarthLink Business Services operations with Deltacom and will market the combined services under the ‘EarthLink Business' brand name.

Beaumont, Texas -- Regional appliance and electronics chain Conn's said Thursday that chairman William C. Nylin Jr. is stepping down and will be succeeded as non-executive chairman by director Theodore Wright.

Nylin has served as chairman since June 2009 and was executive vice chairman before that. He has been on the board since 1993 and has also served as the company's COO and president. He will remain on the board.

Minneapolis -- Supervalu says Sherry Smith has been named the grocery operator's new CFO.

Smith, 49, has been working as the company's interim CFO and will assume her new role immediately. She joined Supervalu in 1987 and has held a variety of positions at the company, including serving as its senior VP finance for eight years.
 

By Jay Leyden, [email protected]

Today, retail companies have realized that projecting a consistent and positive brand image to their customers is a major factor in achieving customer satisfaction. That means everything from lighting standards and cleanliness to HVAC and exterior landscaping are potentially as important to their brand as, say, their advertising campaign or the quality of their products. 

New York City -- Neiman Marcus plans to increase spending on technology to align its in-store and e-commerce businesses, the Financial Times reported.

Sales at Neiman’s e-commerce businesses increased 16.9% during the quarter ending Oct. 31, compared with a year ago.

Karen Katz, who took over the reins as chief executive from Burt Tansky in October, said Neiman planned to “ramp up how we connect” with customers who are increasingly equipped with smartphones and tablets, the report said.
 

Austin, Texas -- Whole Foods Market said Wednesday that its board approved a quarterly cash dividend of 10 cents per share reinstating the quarterly payment after more than two years with none. The dividend will be payable Jan. 20 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 10.

John Elstrott, chairman of Whole Foods' board, said in a statement that the decision to bring back the dividend stems from the company's strong financial position and outlook.

Dallas -- 7-Eleven has agreed to acquire ExxonMobil's retail interests in 183 Florida sites. The transaction, expected to close early in 2011, is subject to standard closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Issaquah, Wash. -- Costco Wholesale Corp.'s profit climbed 18% in its first fiscal quarter, buoyed by sales from its consolidated Mexican operations and improved sales and traffic at its U.S. stores. Net income rose to $312 million for the period ended Nov. 21, up from $266 million a year earlier.

The results topped analysts' average forecasts.

Revenue rose 11% to $19.24 billion from $17.3 billion, also beating Wall Street's expectation.