Department Store

Target has a lot of things going right for it right now with some decent sales momentum and a mix of current and long term initiatives to drive growth. Even so, Target is in the same boat as other retailers who are posting solid profits, but doing so in an uncertain economic climate where fragile consumer confidence makes it hard to get to aggressive when it comes to forecasting future performance.

Bentonville, Ark. -- According to reports by Reuters and Bloomberg on Friday, Wal-Mart Stores is transferring management of its e-commerce business to store-level leadership in developed countries and said that two online executives are leaving the company.

According to the reports, e-commerce leaders in markets such as the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, will now report directly to the heads of stores in those countries instead of global e-commerce executive Eduardo Castro-Wright.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Body Central Corp., operator of the Body Central and Body Shop retail chains, reported Friday that net income for the second quarter was $5.3 million, compared with $2.3 million in the year-ago period.

Net revenues increased 22.1% to $74.7 million, compared with $61.2 million for second quarter 2010. Same-store sales increased 14.7%.
 

Dallas -- Zale Corp. and designer Vera Wang announced they are teaming up on an exclusive line of diamond bridal jewelry.

The new Vera Wang Love collection will include diamond engagement rings, matching wedding bands and solitaire bridal jewelry. Each ring will have the Vera Wang Love logo, and every engagement ring will include a blue sapphire.

The collection will be sold only at Zale stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The jewelry will be in United States and Puerto Rico stores in October.
 

PLANO, Texas — While such higher-end apparel retailers as Nordstrom and Dillard's boasted impressive quarterly earnings and sales, those that cater to the middle class didn't deliver quite as strongly. Case in point, JCPenney, which reported net income of $14 million, or 7 cents per share, for the second quarter ended July 30. Net income for the same period last year was $14 million, or 6 cents per share.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Co. reported Friday that net income for the quarter ended July 30 was flat at $14 million, citing aggressive markdowns for a lackluster performance that fell below Wall Street expectations.

Revenue dipped to $3.91 billion from $3.94 billion in the year-ago period. Same-store sales increased 1.5%.

According to J.C. Penney, its focus on the middle-to-lower-income shoppers creates a challenge, as those consumers face economic uncertainty heading into the back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Friday by the Commerce Department said that retail sales in the U.S. rose 0.5% in July, the most in four months and demonstrating that consumers may be holding their own in a tumultuous economy.

The 0.5% increase matched the Bloomberg News median forecast followed a 0.3% gain in June that was larger than estimated. Excluding auto sales, purchases rose more than projected.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Shortly after Nordstrom reported a 20% quarterly earnings gain, fellow luxury retailer Dillard's posted net income of $17.6 million, or 32 cents per share, compared with $6.8 million, or 10 cents per share, for the same period last year.

Same-store sales for the second quarter were up 6%. Net sales for the quarter were $1.44 billion compared with $1.4 billion last year.