FINANCE

Off-price retailing is hot, but Neiman Marcus is emphasizing what it knows best.    Neiman Marcus will close 10 of its 37 off-price Last Call stores in order to focus on its full-line luxury department stores. Prior to the news, the retailer has already closed three Last Call outlets this year, including its locations at Allen Premium Outlets, Allen, Texas, and Legacy Place in Dedham, Mass.   

High-end bath, kitchen and appliance retailer PIrch is relying on its California roots for future growth.  

Staples is done trading on Nasdaq.   Sycamore Partners announced that it has completed its acquisition of the office supply giant. Under the terms of the deal, which was announced in June, Staples was acquired by the private equity firm in a transaction valued at approximately $6.9 billion.   

It only took seven days for Amazon to begin reaping the benefits of its acquisition of Whole Foods Market.  

One of the nation's best-performing department stores retailers may soon be out of the public arena.    Nordstrom family members are close to selecting Leonard Green & Partners to help fund a buyout of their namesake department store, reported CNBC, which cited people familiar with the matter.  

rue21 has cleared a significant hurdle in its effort to move forward after declaring bankruptcy.   

Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods Market appears to be paying off for both parties.    The e-commerce giant has seen a spike in its online grocery sales since it acquired Whole Foods Market, according to a report by Bloomberg, which noted that the online giant immediately put about 2,000 items on its site from Whole Foods' 365 Everyday Value private brand, and sold out of almost all of the most-popular items.  

Aggressive price cuts took a toll on the nation's largest grocery store operator in its second quarter.    Kroger Co.'s net income fell to $353 million, or 39 cents per share, in the quarter ended Aug. 12, from $383 million, or 40 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Its results were in line with the Street estimates. Gross margins fell by 30 basis points.  

Children’s apparel retailer Gymboree Corp is exiting Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a going concern.   The children's apparel retailer won court approval to exit bankruptcy with a reorganization plan that includes a comprehensive recapitalization that will eliminate about $1 billion in debt. It expects to complete its financial restructuring process and emerge from Chapter 11 by the end of the month.  

One of the first holiday quarter sales forecasts is out of the gate.   Global retail consulting firm Kantar Retail predicts that U.S. retail sales will grow 3.7% in the fourth quarter of this year. The forecast represents an improvement relative to weak growth of only 2.9% in the year ago period. But it is underwhelming compared to average growth prior to the recession of 5.0%, according to Kantar.