Corporate Governance

Stein Mart has named a new CEO just a week after a tough fourth quarter in which the retailer posted a decline in profit.

The Florida-based company says it has appointed Dawn Robertson as CEO and a member of the board of directors. Robertson will also have the responsibilities of chief merchant for the foreseeable future, the company said. She succeeds Jay Stein, the company's founder and long standing CEO, who had advised the board of his desire to step back from that position but remain Stein Mart's chairman of the board.

As the notion of channel conflict subsides, consumer packaged goods companies who don’t elevate their digital game are playing to lose and a new study from a two industry leaders shows just how much.

Mike McNamara, CIO of Target Corp., recently spoke on the role of today’s CIO at the Forbes CIO Summit.

McNamara has been serving as CIO of Target of eight months, having come from international grocery retailer Tesco. He shared insights such as how the rapid adoption of smartphones has been a game-changer for both consumers and corporate IT teams, the ongoing shift underway from legacy software and mainframe systems to cloud and open-source technologies, and the need to build a team of curious, analytical problem-solvers.

The Children's Place posted strong same-store sales for the fourth quarter as the children’s clothes retailer also released an upbeat forecast for the year.

For the fourth quarter ended Jan. 30, net sales increased 4% to $498.5 million. Same store sales increased 6.7%. Net income was $17.5 million, or 87 cents per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2015, compared to net income of $17 million, or 79 cents per diluted share, the previous year.

The personalization trend has hit the world’s largest Italian ice brand.

Rita’s Italian Ice is testing a cafe concept in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Four additional Rita's Cafe locations are in the works.

DSW Inc. says strong sales in the fourth quarter show that its growth strategy is working, and the retailer says it plans to open at least 34 new stores this year.

For the fourth quarter ended Jan. 30, the company reported a profit of $11.8 million, or 14 cents a share, down from $30.8 million, or 34 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 5% to $672 million. Same-store sales increased 0.7%.

Retailers who sell Calvin Klein brand apparel are watching sales closely to see how the fashion brand is impacted by a new deal with pop star Justin Bieber that changes how brands engage with celebrities to drive sales.

Bieber has embarked on a world tour for the first time in four years to support his new best-selling album "Purpose" – and help sell Calvin Klein products. That’s good news for retailers because Bieber has lots of fans and the Calvin Klein brand will be deeply woven into live performances and integrated into social media efforts.