Strategy

Pittsburgh - American Eagle Outfitters Inc. continues its global expansion with new license agreements in South Korea with SK Networks Co. Ltd.; in Singapore with Trendz 360 Pte. Ltd.; and in Greece with Notos Com Holdings S.A. Stores will begin opening in mid-2015, and American Eagle currently expects to open approximately 40 licensed stores in fiscal 2015

Houston – Stage Stores Inc. beat Wall Street expectations with a loss but missed with decidedly revenue in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. The retailer reported net loss of $8.64 million, an improvement from a net loss of $18.79 million the same quarter a year earlier.

Winston-Salem, N.C. - Krispy Kreme (will open 31 stores in South Africa during the next five years. The coffee retailer has signed a development agreement with KK Doughnuts SA (Pty) Ltd, that will mark its first venture into Africa.

Krispy Kreme has more than 1,000 stores in 24 countries.

Armonk, N.Y. – IBM Inc. is making new investments in Sellpoints and WayBlazer to advance online shopping and travel apps powered by Watson. The investments are part of IBM's $100 million commitment to drive new innovations and business solutions that build on Watson.

Columbia, Md. – The Howard Hughes Corp. has signed several retail and restaurant leases for the public promenade at The Metropolitan Downtown Columbia, a new luxury apartment community located in Columbia, Maryland. As part of the transformation, The Howard Hughes Corp. recently completed the renovation of the historic Rouse Building into a flagship Whole Foods Market and a 27,000-sq.-ft.luxury spa and wellness center, as well as kicked off a multi-stage renovation of Merriweather Post Pavilion.

The CEO of Urban Outfitters sounded a positive note about the company's omnichannel strategy despite reporting mixed financial results in the first quarter.

Lower gas prices led to improved traffic and a 1.1% same store sales increase at Walmart’s U.S. stores division, but total company performance suffered under the weight of a $3.3 billion foreign exchange impact and expense pressures which caused profits to decline 7%.

Lackluster traffic at its Golf Galaxy stores led Dick’s Sporting Goods to report a lackluster profit in the first quarter.

As other major retailers report sluggish sales, home improvement stores such as Home Depot Inc. are benefitting from rebounds in the housing market and the weather.

Record Mother's Day sales couldn't lift profit at Stage Stores Inc., which narrowed its loss but reported disappointing same store sales in the first quarter.