Corporate Governance

PetSmart continues to expand its brick-and-mortar presence across North America.   The company has opened 1,500th store, in Sheridan, Colorado. The location is one of approximately 80 new stores the pet specialty retailer is opening in 2016 in new markets as well as in convenient locations in current markets.   

Improving traffic and sales, particularly in the digital channel, helped Target Corp. easily beat third-quarter profit expectations as the discounter raised its year-end outlook.    Target’s profit increased 10.7% to $608 million, or $1.07 cents a share, up from $549 million, or 88 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Adjusted for one-time expenses, it earned $1.04 cents a share, which was better than the 83 cents analysts had expected.  

Nicole Beck, a skilled project management specialist, has joined H.J. Martin and Son as a project coordinator within the company’s fixtures division. In that role, she oversees the installation of functional, appealing solutions for retailers.  

Sales were up in the third quarter, but Lowe’s Companies’ financial performance impressed neither its investors nor its CEO.   The home improvement retailer’s net income dropped dramatically, owing to $462 million non-cash pre-tax charges. Net income declined to $379 million, compared to $736 million in the same quarter last year.  

It’s an odd partnership — at least at first glance.   Neiman Marcus has entered into a partnership with Rent the Runway, which lets shoppers rent pricey designer dresses as opposed to buying them (at a luxe store like Neiman Marcus).       

Street closings and protests related to the election of Donald Trump are severely impacting retail traffic on the priciest retail corridor in the world.   Tiffany & Co., Abercrombie & Fitch, Henri Bendel, Polo Ralph Lauren and other retailers on Fifth Avenue are all being affected, according to the Associated Press.  

Encina Business Credit, has provided a $30 million debtor-in-possession (DIP) facility to American Apparel, which recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.   

Rental values on the two most expensive retail streets in the world have decreased as retailers balance the demands of physical and online shopping.   The upper part of Fifth Avenue (49th to 60th Streets) in Manhattan narrowly beat out Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay in DTZ/Cushman & Wakefield’s annual Main Streets Across the World report, which tracks 462 of the top retail streets around the globe, ranking them by their prime rental value.