Seasonal

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. — Dove is celebrating International Women's Day by giving women the power to control Facebook ads so they can fight back against the ones that prey on their insecurities and promote the positive ones.

Dick’s Sporting Goods fell three cents short of analysts’ profit forecast in the fourth quarter thanks to a 1.2% same store sales increase partially caused by unseasonably warm weather and soft sales of big ticket items.

Sales for the 14 week period ended February 2, increased 12% to $1.8 billion compared to the 13 week period the prior year. The company’s consolidated same store sales increase of 1.2% was driven by a 54.2% increase in online sales, offset by a 2.2% decrease at Dick's Sporting Goods stores and a 1.3% increase at Golf Galaxy stores.

DETROIT, Mich. — Southern department store chain, Belk, has teamed up with ePrize to launch Belk's 125 Days of Prizes, a multi-channel sweepstakes program celebrating Belk's 125th anniversary.

New York -- Ann Inc., parent of Ann Taylor and Loft, said Friday that its fourth-quarter profit rose to a better-than-expected $2.37 million from $2.18 million a year earlier.

Sales rose 7.2% to $607.7 million. Total company store- sales for the quarter decreased 0.7%. By brand, same-store sales increased 1.4% across the Ann Taylor brand and fell 2.1% across the Loft brand.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. and PLEASANTON, Calif. — The TJX Companies and Ross Stores reported comparable-store results that were less than impressive from what the two discount retailers usually deliver.

TJX reported that sales for the four-week period ended March 2, were $1.8 billion, up 7% over the $1.6 billion achieved during the four-week period ended Feb. 25, 2012. Consolidated comparable-store sales for the month were up 1%.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores on Thursday launched a new section on its website dedicated to products from small, women-owned businesses around the world.  

More than 200 items from 19 businesses in nine countries are featured in the new "Empowering Women Together" section of Walmart.com. The launch comes a day before International Women's Day.

AUSTIN, Texas — Online coupons site RetailMeNot.com has launched a new online magazine, The Real Deal by RetailMeNot. As the editorial voice of RetailMeNot.com, the lifestyle daily delivers shopping, fashion, beauty, parenting, personal finance and seasonal advice to help consumers get more for their money, so they can get more for their lives.

Total U.S. Shopper Traffic in Retail Stores and Malls for February 2013

An unexpected decrease in shopper traffic around Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day led to an overall slower retail performance for the month of February.

Retail foot traffic for February decreased 5.4% compared with January 2013, departing from the positive year-over-year retail traffic trends seen in recent months. Foot traffic for February 2013 decreased 6.4% compared with the same month last year.