FINANCE

The Bon-Ton Stores Inc.'s struggles may be catching up with it.  

At Home Group is on a roll — and then some.    The fast-growing, value home decor retailer on Tuesday reported its 14th consecutive quarter of same-store sales increases and 13th consecutive quarter of over 20% net sales growth.   In the second quarter ended July 29, At Home's net sales increased 23.2% to $232.1 million, from $188.4 million in the year-ago period.   Analysts had expected sales of $227.1 million. Same-store sales rose 7.8%.  

Pep Boys is expanding its national service center footprint in the Phoenix area.   The company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Icahn Automotive Group, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Advanced Auto Service & Tire Centers. Advance operates 15 service centers in Arizona, with the majority in the Phoenix area. The Advance locations will be transitioned to Pep Boys Service & Tire Centers.  

The spinner craze helped propel Five Below in its second quarter, as the teen and tween value-retailer turned in an exceptionally strong performance that topped expectations.   Revenue rose 28.7% to $283.3 million in the quarter ended July 29, topping analysts' estimates of $276.6 million. Same-store sales jumped 9.3%, the highest since the chain's IPO in June 2012.  

Costco Wholesale Corp. turned in a strong performance in August, helped by a big increase in online sales.    Net sales rose 10% to $9.8 billion for the month of August, from $8.9 billion during the similar period last year. Total same-store sales rose 7.3%, higher than the 6.1% Wall Street expected. Same-store U.S. sales rose 7.4%, easily topping estimates for a 4.9% to 5.3% increase. Costco's comparable e-commerce sales jumped 26% in August.   

Dollar General turned in mixed results for its second quarter, with gains in sales but a dip in profits and a decline in gross margins.    Net sales rose 8.1% to $5.83 billion in the quarter ended Aug. 4, compared to $5.39 billion in the year-ago quarter, better than analysts were expecting. Same-store sales increased 2.6%, also better than expected, driven by increases in average transaction amounts and customer traffic.   

The spinner craze continues to benefit Five Below which has produced a stunning set of second quarter numbers, beating even its own high expectations. Total sales rose by almost 29% over the prior year, supported by a 9.3% uplift in comparables. Meanwhile, a substantial expansion of margins fueled bottom line growth where net income was up by 71.4%.  

Going private may take some pressure off a company, but it is not without its risks.   In June, the Nordstrom family, which owns 31.2% of the department store's stock, announced it planned to explore taking the company private. But in its latest quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nordstrom executives warned of the potential risks that might come with a move, reported Puget Sound Business Journal.