Strategy

Toys“R”Us chairman and CEO Jerry Storch and Nordstrom Direct president Jamie Nordstrom are among the featured speakers at the Shop.org annual summit.

The annual event organized by Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation, will be held September 10 to 12 and the Colorado Convention Center and is billed as the premier gathering for retail e-commerce, digital and multichannel retailers.

New York -- With only a few exceptions, retailers are posting solid gains in May, with such chains as Target, TJX, Ross and TJX Cos. beating Wall Street forecasts for the month. The Thomson Reuters Same-Store Index, which tracks the stores that release monthly sales reports, is expected to rise 3.6% in May.

"Analysts are taking a careful approach to May same-store sales given the cautious tone issued by most retailers on second-quarter earnings guidance," said Ken Perkins of Retail Metrics, in a research report.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Pier 1 reported that same-store sales rose 7.2% in the first quarter, helped by strong holiday assortments. First-quarter revenue was up 8% to $361 million, beating Wall Street's estimate of $360.7 million.

President and CEO Alex Smith said Thursday that the shoppers have been buying the retailer's Easter, spring, Mother's Day and Memorial Day products.

Chelmsford, Mass. -- Kronos Inc. said Thursday that its Retail Labor Index for May, which characterizes the current state of the demand and supply sides of the labor market within the U.S. retail sector, rose to 4.1%. (This index is defined as the ratio of hires to applications within a given month, expressed as a percentage. A level of 3.0% means that for every 100 applications received, three hires occurred).

The May reading of the Retail Labor Index reflected a moderate decline in hiring outpaced by a sharp drop in applications.


New York -- William Ackman, founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, said that J.C. Penney Co. should start to see “real progress” in early 2013. Ackman made his comments in an interview Tuesday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” Pershing Square owns about 18% of J.C. Penney.

New York -- Winick Realty Group said that 7-Eleven has continued its plans for expansion in the New York market by leasing a new 2,300-sq.-ft. storefront at 1235 Second Avenue, on the corner of East 65th Street.

St. Louis -- Brown Shoe Co. said Wednesday that CFO Mark Hood has resigned the company, effective June 11. Russ Hammer has been named the successor.

“I’m confident [Hammer] will be able to make an immediate contribution across the company and to the work we’ve been completing in our portfolio realignment efforts,” said Diane Sullivan, president and CEO.

Orlando, Fla. -- Cuhaci & Peterson Architects said Wednesday it has been awarded a contract to design four Aldi Supermarkets in located in North and South Carolina and Florida.

Each of the supermarket facilities will total 18,000 sq. ft. of retail space and are located in Salisbury and Indian Trails, N.C., in Columbia, S.C., and in southwest Orlando, Fla., near Disney World.