FINANCE

Best Buy Co. Inc. surpassed Wall Street expectations with rising profits and declining revenues for the first quarter of fiscal 2017, and CFO/CAO Sharon McCollam announced she will retire June 14.
 

The nation’s leading auto parts retailer produced modest sales and profit growth during its third quarter but managed to achieve double digit earnings per share growth thanks to stock buyback activity.

AutoZone sales increased 4% to $2.6 billion during the quarter ended May 7, thanks to the addition of new stores and a 2% same-store sales increase. Net income increased 6% to $327.5 million, while earning per share increased 12.6% to $10.77 as the company spent $533 million to repurchase 687,000 shares.

Grocery giant Supervalu Inc. is one step closer to separating its troubled Save-A-Lot banner.
 
Supevalu, which initially announced it was exploring spinning off Save-A-Lot into a standalone, publicly traded company in July 2015, has completed the amendment of an existing $1.5 billion senior secured term loan agreement. This amendment permits the company and its subsidiaries to undertake certain transactions deemed necessary to enable a spinoff of Save-A-Lot.

Hibbett Sports beat the Street on profit in the first quarter, but missed on sales.   The retailer on Friday reported better-than-expected first-quarter earnings of $27.9 million, compared with $27.4 million in the year-ago period. Revenue for the quarter ended April 30 totaled $282.1 million, up from $269.8 million last year.   Comparable store sales increased 1.1%.  

Foot Locker Inc. saw net income reaching unprecedented levels during the first quarter of fiscal 2016, although sales growth missed Wall Street expectations.   Net income rose 4% to $191 million, from $184 million. Higher pretax income offset a slight increase in income tax expense, resulting in the profit boost. Sales also climbed 4% to $1.99 billion, from $1.92 billion. Same-store sales rose 2.9%.  

Big and tall men continued to spend in the first quarter, bucking slow apparel sales throughout the rest of the industry.   Destination XL Group Inc. posted revenue of $107.9 million in the quarter, up 3.3% from $104.4 million in the year-ago period. Total same-store sales rose 2%.  

Going-out-of-business sales will start before Memorial Day at Sports Authority’s remaining 450 stores nationwide.

The moves comes after the retailer, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March, was unable to find a buyer.

Wal-Mart Stores broke the retail gloom that has penetrated so many recent first quarter earnings reports as it posted higher than expected earnings and revenue gains, and gave an upbeat view for the current period.

Wal-Mart’s strong performance in a quarter that has challenged so many other retailers, including Target, offered evidence that its efforts to improve its U.S. stores are paying off. Among other things, the giant discounter has increased associate pay and taken moves to ensure its stores are more consistently in stock.