Labor & Employment

Destination XL Group was disappointed with its performance in the fourth quarter and said contributing factors were sluggish retail environment, a short holiday selling season and adverse weather conditions. The company reported a net loss of $55.1 million for the quarter, compared to net income of $4.2 million in the year-ago period. Fourth quarter net sales declined nearly 6% to $108.5 million, from $114.9 million in the prior-year period. However, same-store sales rose 13.6%.

After a 15% fourth-quarter same-store sales decline, Aeropostale is looking to accelerate the pace of previously announced store closures, further reduce an already limited store expansion program and has secured new financial flexibility from a private equity firm.

New York — The economy is in better shape than many people think — especially when you look under the hood at some of the parts, CNBC senior analyst Ron Insana told attendees at Chain Store Age’s 50th annual SPECS show. Insana was a keynoter at the event, which was held at the Gaylord Texan Hotel, Grapevine, Texas, March 9 – 12, and attracted retail executives in store planning, construction and facilities. “The United States economy is actually performing quite nicely,” Insana said. “If you look around the world, no one else comes close.”

In the competitive world of low-cost retailers, Target has led the pack. The leak of millions of customers’ personal data with implications of identity theft and fraud called into question their status as one of the top-retailers and has had their executives reeling. Although it's been months since the initial data breach, the crisis still isn't over. Target just reported less-than-stellar fourth quarter earnings, which were at least partly impacted by the breach, and the company still faces costs estimated at up to $1 billion as fallout from the data breach.

One day after Walmart announced a deeper commitment to domestic sourcing, Whirlpool said it planned to spend $40 million on U.S. manufacturing plant that will result in the creation of 400 jobs by 2018. The investment will double the size of Whirlpool’s plant in Greenville, Ohio, where KitchenAid brand small appliances are made, and bring the total workforce at the facility to about 1,400 employees. The plant has been in operation since 1942, and Whirlpool said it will launch the expansion project following final approval of state and local assistance.

On the heels of record growth in 2013, Ulta Beauty plans to open 100 new stores this year and increase funding for e-commerce and loyalty initiatives.

Canton, Mass. – Destination XL Group Inc. reported a net loss of $55.1 million for its fourth quarter, compared to net income of $4.2 million in the year-ago period. The chain cited a sluggish retail environment, a shorter holiday selling season and adverse weather conditions as contributing to the disappointing results.

Not many retailers can say they were very pleased with exceptional results during a compressed holiday season and challenging fourth quarter, but Steinmart did.

Same-store sales increased 3.1% for the fourth quarter ended Feb. 1, while total sales for the 13-week period declined to $360.8 million from $368.6 million because the fourth quarter the prior year included an extra week, which added sales of $15.8 million to the prior-year period.