Retail

Jewelry retailers had mixed sales results during the crucial holiday period.

Tiffany & Co. reported that worldwide net sales in the two months ended Dec. 31 increased 4% to $1.03 billion. Total sales in the Americas region rose 6% to $550 million.

Same-store sales rose 7% due to broad-based sales growth across most of the region. Tiffany is now offering guidance of earnings per diluted share expected to be in a range of $1.27-$1.37 for the fiscal 2013 ending January 31, 2014.

New York -- From mobile devices to social media to 24/7 connectivity, it’s a brave new world for retail — and one that Chain Store Age will explore at its first-ever Customer Disruption event, May 7-9, 2014, at Sofitel Hotel, Redwood Shores, Calif., the Gateway to the Silicon Valley.

Lindt and Sprungli has introduced a bevy of new premium chocolate offerings, with flavor combinations ranging from sweet-and-salty to delicate milk chocolate. 

The new product offerings include Lindor Coconut truffles, Classic Recipe Caramel with Sea Salt bars, special additions to the Lindt Chocolate Specialties line, and the first-ever Lindt Brownie Mixes.

New York -- Former Barnes & Noble executive Jamie Iannone has been appointed president and CEO of Samsclub.com in a restructuring that integrates Sam’s Club’s online business into the Walmart’s Global eCommerce business unit based in California. Previously, most of the warehouse club’s online business was run separately out of the retailer’s headquarters in Bentonville, Ark.

New York — O’Connor Capital Partners has acquired 150 and 151 Worth Avenue, a 142,000-sq.-ft. luxury shopping center in Palm Beach, Fla. O’Connor made the acquisition on behalf of an institutional client.

The Goodman Company developed the center from 1978 to 2001. Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus anchor the center, which is also home to Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Tory Burch and Pucci as well as several other national and local tenants.

The nightmare continued for Target on Friday as worse than expected fourth quarter same store sales prompted the company to slash its profit forecast while it made troubling new disclosures about the theft of information involving 70 million customers.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears Holdings Corp. forecast a fourth-quarter loss and reported declining sales during the crucial holiday period.