Finance & Capital Management

Natick, Mass. -- BJ's Wholesale Club reported third-quarter earnings Wednesday that beat Wall Street expectations on improved revenue from gas and merchandise rose. The warehouse club operator raised its earnings guidance for the year.

BJ’s net income rose to $23 million for the three months ended Oct. 30, up from $17.4 million a year ago.

Revenue rose 5% to $2.63 billion from $2.51 billion last year, just shy of the $2.64 billion expected by analysts. Same-store sales rose 2.5%, or 1.5% excluding gas sales.

San Jose, Calif. -- VeriFone Systems, a global leader in secure electronic payment solutions, and Hypercom Corp., the high-security electronic payment and digital transactions solutions provider, Wednesday announced a definitive agreement under which VeriFone will acquire Hypercom in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $485 million, including net debt assumed by VeriFone.

San Francisco -- W. Howard Lester, chairman emeritus and former CEO of Willliams-Sonoma, died Nov. 15 from cancer at his home in Indian Wells, Calif. He was 75.

Lester purchased the company with a partner in 1978, when it generated $4 million in annual sales and had four stores. During his time as CEO, from 1978 to 2001, and later as chairman, Lester took Williams-Sonoma public and expanded it to 600 stores and more than $3.4 billion in sales, the company said yesterday in a statement.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp.'s fiscal third-quarter earnings rose 22.6%, beating analysts' estimates, boosted by improvements in its credit-card business and rising food sales. The chain also projected a strong holiday, saying it expects an important sales measure to rise more sharply than it has in three years. It is hoping to lure more shoppers during the holidays with its updated store layout and a new credit-card program that offers 5% off all purchases.

Webster, Texas -- New York City-based Centro Properties Group announced that Ashley Furniture has opened a 45,000-sq.-ft. store at Baybrook Gateway, located in Webster, Texas.

Centro Properties Group is the owner of Baybrook Gateway.
 

Allentown, Pa. -- New York City-based The Lightstone Group  announced two long-term lease extensions at Mountainville Shopping Plaza, its 118,000-sq.-ft. shopping center in Allentown, Pa.

Family Dollar has signed a 10-year lease extension for 9,135 sq. ft. of retail space at the shopping center. Studio II Nails has signed a four-year lease extension for 1,500 sq. ft.

Mountainville Shopping Plaza is anchored by a 33,000-sq.-ft. PriceRite Supermarket, an 11,500-sq.-ft. Retro Fitness gym and a 15,000-sq.-ft. Eckerd Pharmacy.

In the November issue of Chain Store Age (page 28), leasing specialist Bill Bosco discussed what is being called the biggest threat to retailers’ earnings: the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (FASB) proposed new rules for lease accounting.

According to Bosco and other experts, the new rules will essentially turn operating leases into capital leases for accounting purposes, wreaking havoc on retailers’ bottom lines.