Corporate Governance

Specialty retailer Genesco surpassed a significant sales milestone last year, but the operator of nearly 2,700 stores faced some self-imposed profitability challenges as it posit

Chain Store Age recently spoke with Daphne Carmeli, CEO of Deliv, to get her perspective on what’s going on in the rapidly growing online delivery space.

What is driving growing consumer interest in online delivery?
We’ve got a bunch of players in the industry who are aggregating inventory in a simple, flexible and cost-effective way for last-mile fulfillment. Companies like Amazon and Google are resetting customer expectations of what’s possible.

Whole Foods Market and online delivery service Instacart have big plans to make it easier for consumers nationwide to receive home deliveries from the nation’s leading retailer of natural and organic products.
 

Ross Dress for Less has added three new locations to its growing portfolio.

The retailer opened two 25,000-sq.-ft. stores in Wisconsin on March 5, including one in Milwaukee, at the Point Loomis Shopping Center. The second store is in Oshkosh, at the Market Fair Shopping Center.

In addition, Ross opened a 30,000-sq.-ft. store in Fountain Valley, California, at the Costco Center. Including the new location, Ross now operates 276 stores in California, its largest state.

Dollar General reported record sales and profits last year and plans to extend the streak in 2016 with 900 stores and an even greater number in subsequent years, according to the company’s new financial targets.

In 2015, Dollar General opened 730 new stores and remodeled or relocated 881 stores which combined with a 2.8% same store sales increase allowed it to grow total sales 7.7% to $20.4 billion. The company ended its fiscal year on Jan. 29, with 12,483 stores.

The company formerly known as Men’s Wearhouse plans to significantly reduce its physical presence this year by closing 250 stores, including more than 20% of the Jos. A. Bank stores acquired in 2014.

The major reduction is selling space by the company which changed its name to Tailored Brands earlier this year was announced in conjunction with the release of weak fourth quarter results that were in line with previously released results, which showed Jos. A. Bank stores had 32% decline in same-store sales.

CVS Health on Thursday announced the launch of "Be The First," a five-year $50 million initiative to help deliver the nation's first tobacco-free generation.

Women’s apparel specialist Christopher & Banks saw its online sales surge in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to keep the company from posting an even bigger operating loss than it did the prior year.