Corporate Governance

New York  - Foot Locker Inc. reported a better-than-expected 14% increase in profit in its first quarter amid continuing sales growth.

Chico's CEO David Dyer, who laid "the foundation for global expansion," will retire next spring, the company announced.

I’ve been attending the annual CIO Symposium hosted by the MIT Sloan School of Management for several years now, and always walk away with a fresh batch of thoughts from top business, IT and academic minds. Here are three of the most valuable insights I learned at the recent 2015 edition of the conference.

Know Your Customer – Now

New York — Aeropostale Inc. managed to shrink its net loss in the first quarter of fiscal 2015, even as sales declined. The mall-based specialty retailer reported a net loss of $45.27 million, down from $76.78 million, amid  reductions in selling, general and administrative expenses (SG&A) and restructuring charges helped cut net loss.
   Net sales dropped 19% to $318.6 million from $395.9 million. Same-store sales, including e-commerce, fell 11%.
 

Just days after it agreed to sell itself to Ascena Retail Group for $2.2 billion, Ann Inc. posted another mixed financial report.

For the first quarter ended May 2, same-store sales declined 1.5% overall at Ann Inc., as Ann Taylor brand sales fell 3% and Loft brand sales were down 0.6%. The company reported a profit of $13.6 million, or 29 cents a share, up from $5.2 million, or 11 cents a share, a year ago.

Omaha, Neb. – Gordman’s Stores Inc. swung to net income of $400,000 in the first quarter of fiscal 2015 from net loss of $700,000 in the same period the prior year. Improved control of store, corporate and insurance expenses, as well the paydown of a loan, helped push Gordman’s into the black.
 

The CEO of Gap Inc. says efforts to improve "product acceptance" at Gap and Banana Republic stores is a work in progress that continues to drain on the company's financial results, which included an 8% decline in its first-quarter profit.

Chicago – Real estate investment trusts (REITs), which represent a sizable share of retail real estate activity, are worried about possible increases in interest rates. According to a report by consulting firm BDO USA LLP, 97% of REITs mention risks related to increases in interest rates and hedging.    This is up from 90% in 2014 and 88% in 2013, according to the 2015 BDO RiskFactor Report for REITs, which analyzes the most recent SEC 10-K filings for the 100 largest publicly traded REITs in the U.S.