Strategy

Worthington, Ohio — Target, Kohl’s, Costco, Macy’s and Old Navy, with an honorable mention to J.C. Penney, are the holiday 2013 retail winners, according to business intelligence provider Prosper Insights & Analytics.  The firm on Tuesday released its  Holiday 2013 Retail Winners & Losers list at the Morgan Stanley Global Consumer and Retail Conference.

Aston, Penn. -- Action Services Group  has completed LED retrofits in five Music & Arts stores, with more to come (Music & Arts specializes in the rental and sale of band and orchestra instruments). The LED lighting retrofits, projected to reduce each store’s energy usage by 78% per year, included replacing the existing halogen 75-watt and 90-watt spot lamps covering the sales floor as well as the hanging-instrument walls with 16-watt LED spot lamps.

Bentonville, Ark. -- At 8 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 22, Wal-Mart will kick off a pre-Black Friday savings event in stores and online, lowering the prices on popular toys and electronics, to match select Black Friday offers from Target, Toys R' Us and Best Buy one week early.

America’s Thrift Stores has hired former Tiffany executive Mike Kane as its new chief operations officer. Kane joins the leadership team at the largest privately owned thrift store company in the Southeast.

At Tiffany, Kane served as VP of manufacturing and prior to that, as a division president.

"I am excited about joining such a passionate group of people," said Kane, "and I see tremendous dedication to do whatever it takes to achieve the mission we have started."

Bentonville, Ark. -- The National Labor Relations Board has reportedly determined that Wal-Mart acted illegally when it disciplined and fired employees who had been involved in strikes and other labor protest activities. According to the New York Times, the board investigated actions taken last year against about 100 Wal-Mart employees in stores across 12 states including California, Colorado, Texas and Massachusetts.

Best Buy warned that its margins may take a hit this quarter in what is shaping up to be an extremely competitive environment, following third quarter results. The company posted a net income of $54 million for the quarter amid tight cost controls, compared to a net loss of $10 million during the same period a year earlier.

The chain posted revenue of $9.36 billion, which was flat with last year and below analyst expectations of $9.37 billion.

Minneapolis -- Best Buy reported net income of $54 million during the third quarter amid tight cost controls, compared to a net loss of $10 million during the same period a year earlier,  beating analyst predictions for a more modest net income.   The chain also warned that its margins may take a hit this quarter in what is shaping up an extremely promotional environment.

The chain posted revenue of $9.36 billion, which was flat with last year and  below analyst expectations of $9.37 billion.

Dick’s Sporting Goods said marketing efforts, improved customer experience and selective pricing initiatives in the third quarter helped traffic which resulted in net sales of $1.4 billion for the quarter, an increase of 6.7% compared to the year-ago period.