International Business

Everett, Wash. -- Action sports retailer Zumiez Inc. reported Thursday that profit surged 140% to $4.5 million for the quarter ended April 28, compared with $1.9 million for the year-ago period.

Revenue rose 22.7% to $129.9 million from $105.9 million, and same-store sales climbed 12.9%.

The company said it plans to open 50 stores in fiscal 2012, including up to 10 locations in Canada.
 

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings posted net income of $189 million in the quarter, compared with a loss of $165 million in the prior-year period.

After several rounds of closings of Kmart and Sears full-line stores in the past months, revenues decreased $270 million to $9.3 billion for the quarter ended April 28. Domestic comp-store sales declined 1.3% -- 1.0% at Sears Domestic and 1.6% at Kmart. Sears also saw declines in its home appliances and consumer electronics categories.

Winnipeg, Manitoba -- Canadian denim company Silver Jeans Co. said Thursday it will expand its branded stores in the United States, and has created a new retail division to execute the strategy.

Silver Jeans Co. said it will launch the plan with a new store opening in early 2013, joining the only store currently open here at Park Meadows Mall in Denver.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. said Thursday that profit for the quarter ended April 28 was flat compared with the year-ago period, but its results beat Wall Street forecasts and prompted the retailer to raise its outlook for the year.

Gap reported a profit of $233 million for the first quarter. Revenue rose 6% to $3.49 billion, beating analysts’ estimated $3.46 billion in revenue, and same-store sales rose 4%.

Bloomfield Hills, Mich. -- Taubman Centers said Thursday that it will begin construction this summer on its 640,000-sq.-ft. Mall of San Juan, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Formerly known as Plaza Internacional, The Mall of San Juan will be a state-of-the-art, two-level, enclosed mall anchored by a 138,000-sq.-ft. Nordstrom and a 100,000-sq.-ft. Saks Fifth Avenue. It will be the first upscale mall on the island and the first and only location in Puerto Rico for both Nordstrom and Saks. 

New Albany, Ohio -- Abercrombie & Fitch Co. reported a 88% decline in its first quarter profit, hurt in part by difficult market conditions in Europe.

For the quarter ended April 28, retailer earned $3.0 million compared with $25.1 million last year. Sales rose 10% to $921.2 million, but same-store sales were down 5%.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — First it was OfficeMax, now Staples reported sales and earnings that were reflective of a struggling retail sector. The company reported that total sales for the first quarter of 2012 were $6.1 billion, a decrease of 1% in U.S. dollars and flat on a local currency basis compared with the first quarter of 2011. Net income for the first quarter of 2012 decreased 6% year-over-year to $187 million. Diluted earnings per share, on a GAAP basis, decreased 4% t to 27 cents from 28 cents achieved in the first quarter of 2011.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples Inc. said its first-quarter net income fell 6% to $187.1 million, compared to $198.2 million a year ago, hurt by weakness abroad.

Total sales fell 1.1% to $6.1 billion. International sales, which account for roughly 20% of the company’s total revenue, dropped 8% to $1.2 billion. In the United States, Staples’ revenue was flat.