Strategy

Austin, Texas -- Whole Foods Market's second-quarter net income rose 33% on strong sales, beating analyst expectations. The company raised its full-year earnings outlook.

Whole Foods said the overall results for the quarter were its strongest in five years. It has fully repaid its long-term debt and is considering using its growing cash balance to grow faster, raise its dividend and repurchase stock.

New York City -- Gap said its chief design director, Patrick Robinson, is leaving the company effective immediately. He had been executive VP of Gap Global Design for Adult and Body for four years.

The company said it will conduct a search for a successor.

Pam Wallack, head of the Gap Creative Center, made the decision to oust Robinson and will manage the design teams in the interim.

His departure follows a series of management shuffles and organizational changes aimed at reviving sagging sales of the brand.
 

New York City -- Retailers reported strong April sales that were boosted by the late Easter holiday, which fell on April 24, three weeks later than last year. Same-store sales rose 8.9% at the 25 retailers tracked by Thomson Reuters, compared with expectations for an 8.2% increase. But the good news was tempered as retailers acknowledged that shoppers are under increasing pressure from rising gas prices and other cost increases.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Big 5 Sporting Goods reported that for the fiscal 2011 first quarter, net sales were $221.1 million, compared with net sales of $218.5 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2010. Same-store sales decreased 0.9% for the first quarter of 2011 versus the comparable period in the prior year. This compares to a same-store sales increase of 2.4% in the first quarter of 2010.

For years, many retailers have at least informally been on the lookout for customers who abuse the return transaction process, and in some cases, declined to engage in further business with customers perceived to be engaging in abusive or even fraudulent return transactions. With the recession, and advanced technology, many retailers are either tightening their return transaction policies and/or their processes for identifying abusive return transaction patterns.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- HSN Inc. reported that total net sales for its first quarter grew 6% over the prior year to $724 million. Net sales at its HSN business increased 1% to $526.2 million, which included 7% sales growth at HSN.com. Cornerstone's net sales increased 20% to $197.8 million with e-commerce sales growth of 23%.

Adjusted EPS increased 14% to 41 cents compared with 36 cents in the prior year, the company reported. GAAP diluted EPS increased 13% to 34 cents compared with 30 cents in the prior year.

CINCINNATI -- The Procter & Gamble announced the following organizational changes:

Edward Shirley, vice chairman beauty and grooming, will retire from P&G, effective Jan. 1, 2012, after 33 years service.  Until that time, effective July 1, Shirley has been named vice chairman on special assignment, continuing to report to Robert McDonald, chairman of the board, president and CEO.  

SALISBURY, N.C. — First-quarter revenue for the Delhaize America, the U.S. sector of Delhaize Group, which includes such supermarket banners as Food Lion and Bottom Dollar, experienced a 0.1% increase to nearly $4.7 billion, the company reported.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — On the final evening of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, the association for the first time honored two individuals in the same year with the Sheldon W. Fantle Lifetime Achievement Award: Mary Sammons, chairman of Rite Aid, and Tom Ryan, chairman of CVS Caremark.

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. -- Walgreens announced that it has partnered with NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products to launch an exclusive line of “The Biggest Loser”-branded meal alternative bars and shakes. According to a company press release, the line of products, named for the popular NBC weight-loss reality show, will be offered in all of the more than 7,600 Walgreens stores nationwide beginning in May.