Strategy

A home improvement start-up with a green conscience and niche positioning is finally ready to expand out of its Austin, Texas, hometown.

TreeHouse will serve as the anchor tenant at The Hill, a new North Dallas shopping center being revived, refreshed, and repositioned by Dallas developer, Cypress Equities. The store, which will be designed by Lake|Flato Architects, is slated to open in early 2017. It will be the retailer’s second location, but perhaps not for long.

Atlanta-based The Home Depot reported record fourth-quarter and fiscal year results, as it emphasized "the interconnected customer experience" and rode a recovering U.S. housing market.

The company's fourth-quarter sales were a record $21.0 billion, up 9.5% from the same quarter last year. Net earnings for the three months were $1.5 billion, compared with $1.4 billion a year ago.

Comp-store sales for the fourth quarter were up 7.1%, and up 8.9% for U.S. stores.

Cold weather in January helped Macy’s report a decline in same-store sales for the fourth quarter that was less than analysts had expected. In other news, the chain announced plans to expand its off-price and specialty beauty formats.

For the period ended Jan. 30, Macy's net income fell 31% to $543 million, dragged down by store closings and other costs.

Adjusted profits were $2.09 per share, better than the $1.86 per share estimate from analysts, according to Zacks Investment Research,

Discount grocer Aldi will make its long-awaited California debut on March 24, with the opening of eight Southland stores. But that’s just the beginning of the company’s expansion plans for the market.

In all, Aldi plans to open approximately 45 stores in Southern California by the end of 2016. The opening of Aldi in California is part of the company's five-year strategic plan to open 650 new stores across the nation. By the end of 2018, the grocer expects to operate nearly 2,000 stores.

When it comes to making online customers happy, one well-known name stands at the top.

Fourth quarter data from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) shows Amazon.com led all online retailers with a score of 83.out of 100. Compared to the prior year, overall Internet retail customer satisfaction slipped 2.4% to a score of 80 out of 100. This still leads all other retail categories in the Index.

Dillard’s says sales were particularly weak in the Southern states as the department store retailer reported a 35.6% drop in fourth quarter profit.

For the period ended Jan. 30, Dillard's had revenue of $2.07 billion for the fourth quarter, down from $2.1 billion during the same period a year ago. Net income was $130.5 million, or $3.17 per share, for the prior year fourth quarter. Same-store sales declined 2%. Net sales for the fourth quarter were $2.074 billion.

Retailers who are looking to provide a genuine omnichannel customer experience can take one crucial step to help themselves.

According to a new study of more than 300 global retail CEOs, including 100 U.S. CEOs, from enterprise retail technology provider JDA Software Group Inc. and PwC, operational silos are a key inhibitor to delivering an integrated, seamless experience. Only 18% of CEOs said they have eliminated operational silos and are delivering seamless omnichannel shopping experiences for their customers.

Specialty vertical apparel retailer Perry Ellis International is solidifying its enterprise approach to the systems that support store processes.

Perry Ellis teamed with retail system integration and development services provider BTM Global to implement Oracle Retail Point-of-Service (ORPOS) v14 and Oracle Retail Store Inventory Management (SIM) v14 for its stores throughout the U.S.

Hudson's Bay Company says online sales were particularly strong in the fourth quarter and contributed to the company's same-store sales growth of 11% for the period.

The Canadian firm and parent company of the Saks Fifth Avenue banners said that for the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31:

• Same-store sales grew 11%;
• The Department Store Group (DSG) had a same store sales increase of 4%;
• Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th same-store sales increased 2%;
• Saks Fifth Avenue same-store sales decreased 1.2%;

Closter, N.J. -- EDENS announced that Closter Plaza, located in Closter, New Jersey, will have a new lineup of stores that cater to foodies, fashionistas and families this spring. The openings will coincide with the center's long-anticipated revitalization by leading retail developer.