Financial/Banking

Dallas -- Neiman Marcus announced Thursday that it had entered into agreements with Visa and MasterCard to begin, effective Nov. 1, accepting MasterCard and Visa credit, debit and prepaid cards at all 41 Neiman Marcus stores.

The luxury retailer had long been criticized for accepting only its private-label credit cards, American Express and cash.

"We listened to our customers and heard that they wanted more flexibility in their payment choices," said Karen Katz, president and CEO, Neiman Marcus.
 

Springfield, Mo. -- O’Reilly Automotive reported Thursday that net income for the third quarter rose 27% to $148 million, compared with $117 million in the year-ago period.

Sales increased 8% to $1.54 billion from $1.43 billion. Same-store sales rose 4.8%.

During the quarter, the company opened 50 new stores, bringing its store count to 3,707 in 39 states.
 

St. Louis -- Brown Shoe Co. said Wednesday it has finalized the sale of its And 1 men’s performance and lifestyle brand to Galaxy International for $55 million.

The And 1 brand was part of the $145 million American Sporting Goods acquisition that Brown completed last February in a move to expand its reach into the fitness category.

Brown Shoe said it plans to use the proceeds from the sale of And 1 to pay down debt.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Big 5 Sporting Goods announced that it has appointed Dominic DeMarco to serve on its board of directors, thereby expanding the board to seven members. DeMarco is director, co-chief investment officer and chief compliance officer for Stadium Capital Management LLC, an investment advisory firm whose affiliated funds have been shareholders of Big 5 since 2006 and taken together are the company's largest current shareholder.

Fort Worth, Texas -- RadioShack Corp. reported Tuesday that profit for the quarter ended Sept. 30 plummeted to $300,000, compared with earnings of $46 million in the year-ago period. The retailer cited the transition from T-Mobile offerings to Verizon Wireless as a major reason for the performance decline, although that was offset somewhat by new mobile service and sales centers in Target stores. The company launched Verizon Wireless in more than 4,400 stores on Sept. 15, as well as ramped up its Target Mobile centers rollout in the same period.

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation said it welcomed a proposal unveiled by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., to reform the nation’s corporate tax structure.

Austin, Texas -- Retail credit solution-provider NewComLink said Tuesday that Zale Corp. has implemented the NewComLink platform as part of its new program to provide alternative financing options to its U.S. customers.

Zale announced the new alternative financing program on Aug. 31, which is currently available in all Zales, Zales Outlet and Gordon’s retail stores.

Fort Worth, Texas -- RadioShack Corp. announced Tuesday a 100% increase in its dividend and the authorization of a $200 million share repurchase program as part of a new capital allocation strategy.

The strategy, according to the company, is designed to balance business growth opportunities with continued strong cash flow and provide a more consistent return of excess cash to long-term shareholders.