Retail

A record 700 new Dollar General stores are slated to open in 2014, the company announced Thursday morning after reporting third-quarter results and tempering its full-year sales forecast.

Same-stores sales at Dollar General increased 4.4% and total sales increased 10.5% to $4.38 billion during the third quarter ended Nov. 1. Profits increase 14% to $237 million from $208 million and earnings per share increased 19% to 74 cents from 62 cents.

Aisle50, an online technology platform that delivers grocery discounts on major and local brands to consumers, has teamed up with premium brands such as Clorox, Starbucks, Smuckers and Red Bull to offer consumers recurring discounts on the products they buy most often.

According to Aisle50, the move gives its retailer partners, which include Raley’s, Shop ‘n Save and Homeland Stores, an e-commerce platform that is unique within the world of groceries.

Conn’s more than doubled its consolidated net income in the third quarter of fiscal 2014 compared to the same period in the prior year, growing to about $24.4 million from $11.8 million. Total net sales increased a healthy 51%, to $310.9 million from $206.4 million.

Kellwood Company, a leading apparel manufacturer and marketer owned by affiliates of Sun Capital Partners, has elevated Lynn Shanahan to the position of CEO of Kellwood Company, following the initial public offering of Vince, completed Nov. 27.

With the holiday shopping season underway and many retailers bracing for stiff competition, Kohl’s plans on keeping its doors open for more than 100 hours, from 6 a.m. Friday, Dec. 20 through 6 p.m. Christmas Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 24.

Although the strategy is familiar to retailers such as Toys “R” Us, it is a first for Kohl’s. The move comes following a comparable-store sales increase of 0.9% for the second-quarter which fell short of Wall Street estimates.

The Clarks Group, the company behind the Clarks and Bostonian brands that sells more than 50 million pairs of shoes annually, has named a new chairman.

The privately held United Kingdom-based company, which operates specialty footwear stores in the U.S. and worldwide, elevated Thomas O’Neill to the role of chairman from his position as a non-executive director on the board. He fills a position previously held by Peter Davies to lead the world’s number one non-athletic footwear brand with annual sales of roughly $2.4 billion and a presence in 100 markets.

Stuart Weitzman Holdings has named François Kress as the company’s global president.

In this newly created position, Kress will oversee all aspects of the global retail and wholesale business plus take on the role of strategic leader for new initiatives and brand extensions. He will report directly to Wayne Kulkin, CEO, and will be based out of international headquarters in New York City.

Kroger has extended its streak of consecutive same-store sales growth to 40 quarters — an impressive feat in light of the slow economic recovery.
 
The company reported a same-store supermarket sales increase of 3.5%, excluding fuel, for the third quarter.

"The resiliency of our Customer First strategy … was on full display during the quarter, even as our internal research shows that customers remain uncertain about the economy," Dave Dillon, Kroger chairman and CEO said.