Apparel

New York -- After five consecutive quarters of declining same-store sales, teen retailer the Buckle may be coming out of its slump.

The Nebraska-based company reported net sales of $353.5 million, 4.3% higher than the year-ago quarter. Same store sales grew 1.1%. Net income rose by about 1.3% to $60.1 million, producing earnings of $1.25 per share, ahead of analysts’ estimates.

Washington, D.C. – The long winter chill put a damper on consumer spending and retail sales in February. According to data from the National Retail Federation (NRF), excluding automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants, retail sales declined 0.2% seasonally-adjusted month-to-month, yet were up 3% on an unadjusted year-over-year basis.

Additional findings from NRF’s monthly retail sales analysis found that:

Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers:
• -2.3% month-to-month

New York -- Ann Inc. on Friday posted a 94% drop in profit for the fourth quarter as incremental air freight costs in response to the West Coast ports dispute and lower margins resulting from increased promotional activity cut into sales. Its results, however, topped the Street forecasts. The company also announced efforts to deliver an additional $35 million in cost savings by 2016 through a new selling, general and administrative optimization program.
 

After five consecutive quarters of declining same-store sales, teen retailer the Buckle may be coming out of its slump.

The Nebraska-based company reported net sales of $353.5 million, 4.3% higher than the year-ago quarter. Same store sales grew 1.1%. Net income rose by about 1.3% to $60.1 million, producing earnings of $1.25 per share, ahead of analysts’ estimates.

Nashville, Tenn. – A variety of pretax items, including network intrusion expenses and a lease termination, helped limit fourth quarter net earnings growth at Genesco Inc. to a level below company expectations. However, net income still rose 19% to $50.4 million from $42.15 million the same quarter in the previous fiscal year.

Net sales increased 13% to $893 million from $793 million. Same-store sales increased 10%.

Bon-Ton plans to refocus the brand, expand omnichannel efforts and open an e-commerce fulfillment center on the heels of a successful fourth quarter.

The company saw an increase in net income in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 to $71.7 million, up 17% from net income of $61.3 million in the same quarter of the previous fiscal year.

Moorestown, N.J. – Destination Maternity Corp. swung from profit to loss during the four-month period ended Jan. 31, 2015. This period marks the transition period related to the company's previously announced fiscal year-end change from Sept. 30 to the Saturday nearest Jan. 31 each year.

Destination Maternity reported a net loss of $17.38 million, compared to net income of $3.09 million in the same period a year earlier. Higher cost of goods sold and a variety of impairment charges pushed Destination Maternity into the red.

Off-price retailer Stein Mart is poised for expansion as stronger traffic in the holiday quarter helped the company post an increase in same store sales.