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NEW YORK — Saks returned to profitability in its fiscal fourth quarter as the chain sold more items at full-price and used fewer promotions.

The company reported net income of $25 million for the period ended Jan. 29, compared with a loss of $4.6 million a year earlier.

Revenue rose 7% to $866.3 million, topping Wall Street's estimate of $854.4 million. Same-store sales were up 8.4%, compared with the year-ago period.

New York City -- Saks returned to profitability in its fiscal fourth quarter as the chain sold more items at full-price and used fewer promotions. The company reported net income of $25 million for the period ended Jan. 29, compared with a loss of $4.6 million a year earlier.

Revenue rose 7% to $866.3 million, topping Wall Street's estimate of $854.4 million. Same store sales were up 8.4%.

Chesapeake, Va. -- Dollar Tree's fiscal fourth-quarter earnings rose 20.4% to $162.5 million amid rising sales and widening margins.

Net sales for the quarter, which ended Jan. 30, increased 10.7% to $1.73 billion . Same-store sales were up 3.9%.

The company's top-performing categories in the quarter included food, party supplies, health and beauty care, and housewares and home products.

Atlanta -- Home Depot reported Tuesday that profit for the quarter ended Jan. 30 surged 72% to $587 million, compared with $342 million a year earlier, and and the home-improvement chain provided 2011 guidance at or above the views it gave in December. Results were helped by a strong showing in the United States.

Revenue increased 3.8% to $15.12 billion, beating Wall Street expectations of $14.81 billion. Same-store sales rose 3.9% and were up 4.8% in the United States.

Phoenix -- Private equity firm Apollo Management will acquire majority ownership in Phoenix-based Sprouts Farmers Market. Apollo plans to combine Sprouts operations with another of its holdings, Henry's Farmers Market, based in Irvine, Calif. The combined company will operate under the Sprouts Farmers Market name.

Terms of the deal, expected to close in the second quarter of this year, were not disclosed. The combined grocers will have 98 stores and generate annual sales that exceed $1 billion.

From a strictly legal standpoint Walmart may have prevailed this week in a case involving a customer who was murdered in its parking lot after a jury found the company wasn’t liable for inadequate security. Then again, the mere fact that Walmart had to appear in court to defend itself against charges stemming from a murder in its parking lot meant the company was a loser before the trial began simply because of the negative publicity.

Global supply chains in an Ayn Rand World is the theme of the 10th annual Supply Chain Management Research Center spring conference to be held Thursday, March 17 at the University of Arkansas Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development. The event will last from 7:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. with industry leaders slated to share their views on a wide range of supply chain topics.

St. Louis -- Build-A-Bear Workshop said Thursday that it recorded net income of $8.3 million in the fiscal fourth quarter, compared with a loss of $0.9 million in the year-ago period.

Total sales for the period rose 2.2% to $125.8 million, from $123.1 million a year earlier. Same-store sales companywide dipped 3.7%.

For the full year, total revenues rose 1.4% to $401.5 million.