Consumer Electronics

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc. reported falling profits and sales in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. Lower online commissions from Sears Holdings, lower initial franchise revenues, and lower delivery income helped reduce net income to $2.15 million from $3.68 million.

Net sales in the first quarter of 2015 decreased 1% to $582.8 million from $589.9 million. This decrease was driven primarily by a 1.2% decrease in same-store sales.

Pittsburgh – Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. has appointed Teri L. List-Stoll as executive VP/CFO, effective August 2015.

 List-Stoll joins Dick’s with 30 years of experience. Prior to joining the company, she was employed by Kraft Foods Group from September 2013 to May 2015, serving as executive VP and CFO from December 2013 to February 2015. Before her role as CFO of Kraft, she served as senior VP of finance from September to December 2013.

Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc.

Franklin, Tenn. - The new EMV card payment mandate may not provide financial ROI for retailers. According to new research from IHL Group, most retailers will never recoup the expense that EMV imposes.

San Jose, Calif. – The eBay Valet professional selling service will now accept high-end clothing in addition to shoes, handbags, electronics and other popular household items. eBay Valet provides features such as price estimates for potential buyers, taking professional pictures, and shipping.

eBay partnered with fashion blogger Garance Doré to officially debut the expansion of eBay Valet. Dore provided tips and tricks on what to sell and how to sell fashion items.

The CEO of Best Buy says brick-and-mortar stores are absolutely vital to beating Amazon.com and other retail rivals.

According to MPR News, Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly told students at the University of Minnesota that "the chain's roughly 1,400 U.S. stores allow the retailer to demonstrate new products for customers and deliver the goods faster than Internet-only merchants."

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Gainesville, Fla. - The developer of Celebration Pointe, a 225-acre mixed-used regional development located in Gainesville, Florida, has secured a $125 million construction loan for Phase I of the project.  Celebration Pointe partner Ralph Conti made the announcement.

“We are very pleased to have secured this key piece of our capital stack,” said Celebration Pointe partner Ralph Conti.   

The “unnamed strategic bidder” who outbi