Strategy

NEW IBERIA, La. — The Grocery Manufacturers Association has tapped the leader of a food manufacturer to serve on its board of directors.

J.S. "Si" Brown, president and CEO of Bruce Foods, will serve on GMA's board. Brown has held led the company, which specializes in manufacturing Cajun and Tex-Mex products, since 1973.

New York City -- Barnes & Noble reported Tuesday that net income for the quarter ended Jan. 29 decreased 24.7% to $60.6 million, from $80.4 million a year earlier. Although the chain returned to profitability after three straight quarters in the red, its increase in revenue was lower than expected.

Overall sales were up 6.9% to $2.3 billion. Same-store sales at its namesake stores rose 7.3%; same-store sales at its college bookstore chain dropped 2.2%.

Atlanta -- Home Depot reported Tuesday that profit for the quarter ended Jan. 30 surged 72% to $587 million, compared with $342 million a year earlier, and and the home-improvement chain provided 2011 guidance at or above the views it gave in December. Results were helped by a strong showing in the United States.

Revenue increased 3.8% to $15.12 billion, beating Wall Street expectations of $14.81 billion. Same-store sales rose 3.9% and were up 4.8% in the United States.

Providence, R.I. -- DijiPOP, a leading provider of on-demand digital shopper marketing technology solutions, announced that Walmart Canada has selected the company to power the digital shelf space monetization efforts of its rapidly growing Walmart.ca online property.

As a complement to Walmart Canada’s current advertiser program, DiJiPOP’s technology will integrate deeply with Walmart Canada’s existing proprietary vendor portal, allowing Walmart.ca vendors to reserve premium shelf space.

The retail world takes center stage this week as financial markets are poised to dissect a slew of earnings reports from major retailers who will be sharing details on the profitability of holiday sales, perspective on the state of the economic recovery and the outlook for consumer spending during the remainder of 2011.

MONROE, Mich. -- La-Z-Boy reported that sales for the third quarter declined 4.3%, partly due to ongoing challenges related to housing and consumer confidence. Net income for the fiscal 2011 third quarter was 19 cents per share, which includes a 6-cent tax benefit, versus 21 cents per share in last year's third quarter.

The retail segment's sales increased 9.2%, and it experienced its eighth consecutive quarterly improvement of operating margin performance compared with the prior year, the company reported.

Indianapolis -- Electronics and appliances retailer Hhgregg said Friday it is planning to open as many as 20 new stores in the Chicago market this fall.

According to a report by the Chicago Tribune, the openings would make the Chicago area the largest market for the chain, with 11% of its 174 stores.

Hhgregg is leasing former Circuit City, Linens ’n Things and Wickes Furniture sites, and plans to open a DC to support the Chicagoland expansion, it said.

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. -- Motorola Mobility Holdings announced that its chairman and CEO, Dr. Sanjay Jha, is scheduled to present at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference  in San Francisco, California.

The live audio webcast will be available at investors.motorola.com. An archived replay will be available on the website approximately three hours after the live event.