Corporate Governance

 Chicago -- When compared to “Black Weekend” last year, brick-and-mortar retail sales between Thanksgiving and Sunday, Dec. 1 increased 1% as shoppers spent an estimated total of $22.2 billion across the four days. However, retail shopper traffic decreased by 4%, to an estimated 1.8 billion store visits, according to new data from ShopperTrak.

Mountain View, Calif. – While shipping costs (21%) and registration (20%) were the features that users said needed the most improvement respectively, consumers felt very comfortable purchasing from the Web's top online retailers on Cyber Monday.

Suffern, N.Y. – Ascena Retail Group, parent company of Lane Bryant and Justice, reported net income of $52.6 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2014, a 22% increase from $43.1 million a year earlier.

Net sales totaled roughly $1.2 billion, a 5% increase from about $1.14 billion.

Evansville, Ind. – Shoe Carnival had a generally disappointing third quarter fiscal 2013, with net income falling 11% to $10.9 million from $12.2 million. Net sales also declined 3.5%, from $244.4 million to $235.8 million.

Shoe Carnival attributed part of the year-over-year decline to a shift from a 53-week to a 52-week fiscal year, which resulted in one fewer week of back-to-school shopping activity in the third quarter and about $21.2 million less in sales.

Omaha, Neb. – Gordman’s Stores reported declining net income even as net income grew in the third quarter of fiscal 2013. Net income for the third quarter of fiscal 2013 was $1.1 million, down 72.5% from net income of $4 million in the third quarter of the prior year.

Seattle – Starbucks has priced an underwritten public offering of senior notes. The company plans to use the net proceeds from the offering of $400 million of 0.875% senior notes due 2016 and $350 million of 2.000% senior notes due 2018 to fund a portion of the payment required by the previously announced arbitration award in the Kraft litigation matter.

Newport Beach, Calif. -- Engaged Capital, an investment firm specializing in small and mid-cap North American equities and beneficial owner of approximately 400,000 shares of the common stock of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. sent a letter to the company’s board of directors on Dec. 3. In its letter, Engaged Capital highlighted the upcoming expiration of Abercrombie chairman and CEO Michael Jeffries’ employment contract on February 1, 2014 as an opportunity for the board to set a new direction for the company.

Woonsocket, R.I. -- MinuteClinic, a division of CVS Caremark Corporation, has expanded to its 28th state with the opening of clinic locations inside select CVS/pharmacy stores in New Hampshire. Clinics are now open in Concord and West Lebanon.  

Denver -- Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage is announcing the grand opening of its newest Texas location in the new Town Square Shopping Center in Wichita Falls. The store opens for business on Dec. 5.

"We invite the Wichita Falls community to come in see what we're about," said Kemper Isely, Natural Grocers co-president. “While they are here, shoppers can also pick up some practical ideas for healthy eating during one of our free cooking demonstrations, or take part in a free nutritional education seminar."

Peter Freedman was appointed managing director of the Consumer Goods Forum with responsibility for leading the Paris-based organization’s efforts to promote better lives through better business.