Strategy

A disruptive retail climate and underperforming categories took their toll on HSN during the fourth quarter.   HSN’s net income was $43.5 million for the quarter, or 82 cents per share, ended December 31, 2016, compared to $59.7 million for the same period last year. This exceeded analysts’ estimates of 74 cents per share.  

Staying true to its recently announced growth plan, Dollar General is preparing to break ground on a new distribution center.   

Store closures, layoffs and shifting consumer preferences weighed down Macy’s bottom line, negatively impacting its fourth quarter earnings. And the retailer doesn’t see its slump ending in the near future.    Macy's net income fell to $475 million in the quarter ended Jan. 28, compared with $544 million in the year-ago period. Adjusted earnings per share came to $2.02, better than analysts had expected. Analysts had expected $1.95 per share for the quarter, according to FactSet.  

The Tori Richard brand is a staple in Hawaii, but it’s taking steps to expand sales across the continental United States.   A company founded as a women's wear brand 60 years ago in Honolulu, has since become an internationally recognized men's and women's resort wear brand available in its 17 stores and approximately 2,500 wholesale accounts, including in Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom. This breadth contributes to sales that span across the main-land U.S., Latin America, and Asia-Pacific. 

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is about to get a new owner.    Restaurant Brands International Inc., owner of Burger King and Tim Hortons, announced it would acquire Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen for $1.8 billion in cash.  

Amazon has again raised the stakes in the home shipping war.   Almost a year after raising its free shipping minimum for non-Prime customers from $35 to $50, Amazon subtly announced on its website that it is once again honoring free shipping on orders of $35.  

While Lidl has made clear its plans to expand to the U.S., many grocery retailers may not have expected it to make its stateside debut quite so soon. Recent reports that the chain will open its first stores on U.S. soil this summer, ahead of schedule, mean that the pressure is on for domestic grocery chains to determine how to react to their latest challenger.  

Slowing mall traffic continued to slow Dillard’s sales in the fourth quarter.   Net income for the quarter ended January 28, 2017, was $56.9 million compared to net income of $84.0 million in the year-ago period. Included in the amount is an after-tax asset impairment of $4.2 million on a cost method investment.   Net sales for the period were $1.94 billion, down from $2.07 billion last year. This missed analyst estimates of $1.999 billion.