Strategy

Plainfield, Ind. -- Walmart had added to its online fulfillment capabilities.

Teens with a hankering for pricey furniture and décor — and affluent parents — will now have a new place to shop.

New York -- Party City isn’t celebrating its second quarter.  But it remains on track to open 30 new stores for 2015 and complete 50-60 remodels and relocations.

The party supply retailer reported a loss for its second quarter traffic amid light traffic. But it as the retailer reported a loss.

In the second quarter ended June 30, Party posted a loss of $23 million, or 20 cents a share, compared with a profit of $2.5 million a year earlier

Retailers rely on a combination of dividend payments and share repurchase programs to return cash to stockholders, but the latter method is coming under scrutiny as Democrats look to leverage the populist theme of income inequality during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Kroger is partnering with Liberty Mutual on a new loyalty card program for shoppers, Loyalty360 reported Thursday.

Little Rock, Ark. -- Dillard’s Inc. profit declined 13.3% in the second quarter, but it still came in better than analysts had expected.

Growth in shoes and some apparel categories helped Dillard’s post a feeble second quarter same-store sale increase, but it was too little for the department store retailer to avoid the sharp decline in profitability. The retailer’s profit for the quarter ending Aug. 1 was $29.9 million, down from $34.5 million in the year-ago period.

Off-price retailer Stein Mart is accelerating the implementation of its store growth strategy just as thrifty shoppers increasingly flock to discounters.

Seattle -- Finally some good news in the department store sector.

Nordstrom Inc. on Thursday reported better-than-expected fiscal second-quarter earnings and sales.

The retailer reported net profit of $211 million, or $1.09 a share, for the quarter ending Aug. 1, up from $183 million, or 95 cents a share, in the year-ago period.