Corporate Governance

Buoyed by its performance during Back to School season, Hibbett Sporting Goods sounded an optimistic tone regarding the holidays after reporting a surprisingly strong third quarter comp increase.

The operator of 904 stores in 31 states said its same store sales increased 4.8% and total sales increased 2.5% to $208 million during the quarter ended November 2.

Minerco Resources, parent company of Level 5 Beverage Company, has appointed beverage executive Darin Ezra to Level 5’s board of directors.

Ezra will take a leadership role in both the tactical and strategic direction of the company. He has more than 15 years of experience in the packaged consumer goods industry.

Ezra co-founded Power Brands Consulting in 2006 and serves as its CEO. Power Brands has been party to the development of more than 500 beverage brands.

Apprehension regarding shoppers’ willingness to spend during the shortened holiday season has reached the point where even retailers presumably well positioned to benefit from frugality are sounding alarms.

The most recent is Ross Stores vice chairman and CEO Michael Balmuth who shared his concerns about the fourth quarter even as the operator of 1,154 stores reported third quarter sales that were in line with expectations and profits that exceeded guidance due to margin expansion.

Former Accenture CFO Pamela Craig has joined the Walmart board and will serve on the retailer’s audit committee involved in a two year old investigation related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. reported a 9.4% increase in third-quarter profit as the retailer's turnaround continues. The company also reaffirmed its full-year profit guidance and said it is increasing its stock buyback authorization by $1 billion.

The chain posted net income of $337 million in the three-month period ended Nov. 2, compared with $308 million last year.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens on Thursday announced the appointment of Sona Chawla, president of e-commerce, as president of digital and chief marketing officer. In this new role, Chawla will lead a newly created digital and marketing division, establishing a unified and integrated digital, enterprise-wide marketing, and customer loyalty and insights group to advance Walgreens “Well Experience” strategy and vision to be the first choice in health and daily living in America and beyond, Walgreens stated.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Stein Mart reported a return to profit in the third quarter, recording net income of $28,000 for the period ended Nov. 2, compared with a loss of $1.7 million last year. Results matched Wall Street expectations.

Revenue climbed 6% to $290.5 million from $273.7 million, topping Wall Street's estimate of $287.9 million. Same-store sales rose 4.8%.

New York -- Bon-Ton Stores narrowed its loss in the third quarter to $931,000, compared with a loss of $10.1 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue dipped 3% to $651.2 million from $668.7 million, narrowly missing analysts’ expected $671.2 million in revenue.

Same-store sales fell 2.8%.

Chain Store Age posted a story about Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital opening a new 70,000-sq.-ft. retail store and restaurant development in the hospital and across the campus.

New York — The United States Postal Service has signed an agreement to occupy 8,440 sq. ft. of retail space at 333 East 14th Street in Manhattan, according to the Feil Organization.

The Peter Stuyvesant branch of the U.S.P.S. inked the 10-year sublease for the space, which includes 6,940 sq. ft. on the ground floor and 1,500 sq. ft. of basement. It is a relocation of the Postal Service’s existing 432 East 14th Street branch.