Strategy

The CEO of the Finish Line Inc. says the company is poised for consistent growth and increased profitability after posting an increase in same store sales in the first quarter.

The Finish Line Inc. said profit rose 11% in the first quarter ended May 30. Same store sales rose 5.5%.

One of the world's biggest fashion retailers says the strong U.S. dollar hurt profits in the second quarter, but the company is moving ahead with plans to increase investments and even launch a new brand in 2017.

Nielsen knows what makes brand marketing effective and now the company is applying its consumer communications expertise to the world of packaging.

Nielsen Design Navigator is the name of a new creative enablement tool the company contends helps marketers improve the in-market effectiveness of package design.

Nielsen is known as a leader in marketing effectiveness, innovation forecasting and in-market success but the introduction of the Design Navigator is new territory. Why the company has made the move is understandable.

Bridgehampton, N.Y. -- Garnet Hill, the online and catalog retailer, is inching closer to brick-and-mortar.

The 39-year-old company is set to open its first physical store, a pop-up location in the tony Long Island town of Bridgehampton, New York. The store is designed to give customer a "touch and feel" experience for Garnet Hill’s merchandise.

While the Confederate flag has been an increasing source of controversy in recent years, retailers have long sold items featuring its image with no major outcry. But following the tragic shooting in Charleston, consumer sentiment against the “Stars and Bars” intensified to a degree that made selling Confederate flag-themed merchandise unacceptable to a large portion of the public within a few days.

Arlington, Va. -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) is calling on Congress to make “much-needed” changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The move comes in response to the Supreme Court of the United States' ruling Thursday upholding subsidies provided through ACA.

Following a recent open invitation to U.S. retailers from Alibaba’s Jack Ma, everyone from established American brands to smaller mom and pop operations are looking to plug into the China opportunity. But what most American retailers don’t realize is that even with the reduced friction that technology has recently afforded, selling to the Chinese consumer is harder than it looks.

New York – Barnes & Noble Inc. beat Wall Street expectations, sharply reducing its loss even as sales fell.

The bookseller reported a net loss of $19.42 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, down from a loss of $36.7 million in the year-ago period. Reductions in selling, general and administrative (SG&A) and interest expenses, as well as lower depreciation and amortization, drove the decline in net loss.

Milford, Conn. - Suzanne Greco, who began her tenure with the Subway restaurant chain as a store associate in 1973, has been named president of the company. For 24 years, she led the research and development team.

In 2012 Greco’s responsibilities expanded when she began overseeing the operations department and her responsibilities expanded again earlier in 2015 when she began overseeing the marketing department.

New York -- Discounter 99 Cents Only has appointed a former Walmart executive as interim CFO — for the second time.

Less than a month after former Kmart executive Andy Giancamilli was named interim president and CEO, 99 Cents named Michael Fung to the role of CFO.