Strategy

An “intense focus” on brand-building and improved product assortments led True Value to post a loss in the first quarter.

The retailer-owned hardware cooperative posted a net loss of $1.7 million, down $2.6 million compared to net margin of $0.9 million from a year ago. The company said the net margin decrease was driven by planned investment expense incurred in connection with the implementation of the strategic plan and was partially offset by a sales increase.

Stein Mart says customers responded very positively to its spring assortment, boosting same store sales for the chain up nearly 5%.

The Florida-based company, which is planning an aggressive expansion plan for 2015, says total sales for the quarter increased 7.5%.

"We are very pleased with the response our customers are having to our spring assortment," said Jay Stein, Chief Executive Officer. "Our first quarter 4.8 percent comparable store sales increase continues the trend we saw at the end of last year and is a great way to start the year."

The earlier Easter holiday put a damper on traffic at L Brands’ stores, which reported a 1% drop in same store sales for May.

But the retailer reported an overall 1% increase in sales to $724.6 million for the four weeks ended May 2, compared to net sales of $717.6 million for the four weeks ended May 3, 2014. The company reported net sales of $2.512 billion for the 13 weeks ended May 2, an increase of 5% compared to sales of $2.391 billion for the 13 weeks ended May 3, 2014. Same store sales for the 13 weeks ended May 2, increased 5%.

H&M is making a big statement in Manhattan.

The Swedish fast fashion retailer will open its largest store in the world, in Manhattan’s Herald Center, on May 20.

Kohl's shoppers have responded so well to store pickup for online orders that the retailer is rolling out the service to all 1,164 of its stores in the United States.

Shedding light on how Walmart plans to achieve digital and physical balance in its supply chain this week was Tracy Rosser, the retailer’s senior vice president of transportation and supply chain.

Speaking at an Institute for Supply Management conference in Phoenix, Rosser elaborate on Walmart’s plans to blend its traditional pallet drive supply chain focused on serving large format stores with new distribution challenges driven by shoppers evolving fulfillment expectations. T

Baltimore -- CVS Health officially announced it will rebuild its CVS/pharmacy Baltimore stores that sustained heavy fire damage during protests last week. The stores that will be rebuilt are located at 2509 Pennsylvania Avenue and 2560 West Franklin Street.
 

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation is  NRF is hosting a night of shopping in the nation’s capital to honor retail’s entrepreneurial spirit.

The National Retail Federation’s “Retail’s Night Out” will be a celebration of Small Business Week with local merchants and national brands set up in one-night-only pop-up shops in Washington, D.C., on May 6. The event will also feature live music, local food trucks and a red carpet.

Chicago -- Tucker Development, in joint venture with Hutensky Capital Partners, announced the $57.25 million acquisition of Town Square Wheaton (TSW), a 200,000-sq.-ft. shopping, dining and office destination located in Wheaton, Illinois.
 

Tarrytown, N.Y. -- DLC Management Corporation, a national owner and operator of open-air shopping centers, announced its new partnership with LOC Card, a universal card that supports merchants’ existing loyalty programs.

With LOC Card, consumers can now use one card across all participating merchants at their preferred DLC shopping center to access and engage with each merchant’s loyalty program. The LOC Card replaces that key ring full of loyalty card key tags and streamlines the process, saving time at the register.