Finance & Capital Management

Despite 16 consecutive years of positive same-store sales growth among key categories, Casey’s General Stores’ top and bottom line revenues missed the mark in the fourth quarter.  

Williams-Sonoma's West Elm division has tapped a company veteran as its new president.    Alex Bellos, head of Williams-Sonoma's Rejuvenation and Mark and Graham brands, is succeeding Jim Brett as president of the West Elm brand. On Tuesday, Brett announced he was resigning from the company to take a position as CEO of J.Crew.   

Retailers could unlock $2.95 trillion in value over the next decade simply by investing in transforming, digitally driven business models.   

Increased online and offline competition is giving arts and crafts leader Michaels Cos. a run for its money.   The company's profit fell 20% to $67 million, or 38 cents a share, in the first quarter ended April 29, down from $85 million, or 34 cents a share, a year ego. Its results missed analysts' expectations.    Total sales were flat at $1.16 billion, also less than expected. Same-store sales fell 1.2%  

The public feud between Eddie Lampert, chairman and CEO of Sears, and a top supplier seems to have been resolved.   In his May 15 blog, Lampert took aim at some of the chain’s vendors in a blog post. It read:  

The vacated Whispering Pines Mobile Home Park in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, will be filled with retail by a local developer building centers large and small along the Rhode Island border.   The still nameless project makes the fifth center that Johnston, Rhode Island-based Carpionato Group has under development in the area. They range in size from 53,000 sq. ft. of GLA at the Shoppes at Mayfaire in Attleboro to 830,000 sq. ft. at the Stonehill Marketplace power center in Johnston.  

Coinciding with its recently announced growth plan, Dollar General opened a new distribution center.    The new $100 million facility resides in Janesville, Wisconsin. It is the company’s 14th warehouse. The approximately 1 million-sq.-ft. depot, which began shipping merchandise in January, serves approximately 800 stores in nine states in the upper Midwest, and employs more than 500 employees. Along with more than 130 store locations in the state, Dollar General now has more than 1,300 employees in the state of Wisconsin.

BCBG Max Azria Group LLC is getting a shot at keeping its brand alive.