Footwear

Hibbett Sports says harsh winter weather, tax refund delays and the West Coast port dispute all contributed to the company posting an unanticipated decline in same store sales for the first quarter.

Jeff Rosenthal, president and CEO, said: “We experienced early headwinds in the quarter, with February posting a negative high-single-digit comp due to impacts from weather-related closures, port delays and a shift in the timing of tax refunds.”

Foot Locker has "hit the ground running in 2015," according to CEO Richard Johnson, adding that the company posted a better-than-expected 14% increase in profit in its first quarter as the sportswear retailer continues to benefit from sales growth.

Evansville, Ind. – Shoe Carnival Inc. saw net income and sales increase during the first quarter of fiscal 2015 as selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses and cost of sales rose at a slower pace than revenues.

Net income totaled $10.4 million, up 8% from $9.2 million the same period a year earlier.

Net sales increased 7% to $252.77 million, from $235.77 million. Same-store sales climbed 3%.

Improved merchandising and e-commerce initiatives helped Shoe Carnival post first quarter gains in profits, earnings and sales.

The company reported that net sales increased $17 million to a first quarter record of $252.8 million, as compared to net sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2014. Same store sales increased 3%. Earnings per diluted share for the first quarter increased 15.6% to 52 cents.

New York -- Swedish fast-fashion giant Hennes & Maurtiz AB (H&M) on Wednesday unwrapped its largest store in the world, in New York City’s Herald Square. The 63,000-sq.- store, which is located across from Macy’s, has a custom illuminated store front that wraps around 33rd Street, 34th Street and 6th Avenue. It is the retailer’s 13th store in New York City.

Pittsburgh – Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. met Wall Street expectations with net income of $63.34 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2015, a 9% decrease from $69.99 million the same period a year earlier. The retailer also met the Street with consolidated net sales of $1.56 billion, a 9% increase from $1.34 billion.

However, same-store sales growth of 1% fell short of Wall Street predictions. Rising selling, general and administrative (SG&A) and pre-opening expenses dug into Dick’s profit.

Lackluster traffic at its Golf Galaxy stores led Dick’s Sporting Goods to report a lackluster profit in the first quarter.

Valhalla, N.Y. – Footwear brand Candie’s Inc., which is exclusively sold through Kohl’s in the U.S., is reportedly focusing on Instagram as a key platform for its spring/summer marketing campaign. According to MediaPost, Candies will post images of fashion blogger Shea Marie on Instagram.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has signed a 42,000-sq.-ft. lease to open a Neighborhood Market at Nor-Dan Shopping Center in Danville, Virginia. The store is planned to open in 2016 and will employ approximately 95 people.

Nor-Dan Shopping Center is a 161,428-sq.-ft. community center anchored by Big Lots and It's Fashion Metro, operated by Phillips Edison & Co.

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. – Coming soon in Technicolor Walt Disney World resort will offer a slew of new shopping and dining options. Retailers including Zara, Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer, Uniqlo and Pandora are the latest to sign on as Downtown Disney continues its expansion into Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort.