Department Store

New York City -- Kohl’s Corp. is looking to focus on smaller stores as it continues to expand across the country, chairman and CEO Kevin Mansell said in remarks following the company's annual meeting Thursday, according to The Business Journal.

The chain expects to open about 40 stores this year, and 30 of them will be smaller models. Kohl’s smaller footprint generally averages about 60,000 sq. ft. as compared with 90,000 sq. ft. for a typical store, the report said.

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl’s reported that its first quarter diluted earnings per share increased 14% to 73 cents, in line with Citi and Stifel analysts expectations and with the company's updated guidance that EPS would be toward the high-end of 68 cents to 73 cents (provided on May 5). Net income for the quarter was $211 million, compared with $199 million (64 cents per diluted share) a year ago. Net sales were $4.2 billion, an increase of 3.1% for the quarter. Comparable-store sales for the quarter increased 1.3%.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Corp. said Thursday its first-quarter earnings rose 6%, helped by online sales and Easter demand in the Southeast.

Net income rose to $211 million from $199 million in the year-ago period. Sales in the quarter ended April 30 rose 3.1% to $4.16 billion. Same-store sales were up 1.3%.

New York City -- All Saints, the U.K. fashion retailer known for its dark interiors and edgy threads, has been bought by British investment firm Lion Capital and U.S. private equity firm Goode Partners, Britain’s The Telegraph reported. The purchase is likely to speed the chain’s expansion in the United States.

Washington, D.C. -- Retail sales rose 0.5% in April after a 0.9% increase in March, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. It was the tenth straight increase and came as consumers spent more on gasoline, clothing and autos in April.

Much of the gain in April, however, came from a surge in gasoline and food prices. Excluding a 2.7% jump in gasoline sales, the increase was a much smaller 0.2%.

Grocery stores sales jumped 1.5% -- triple the March increase. That partly reflected higher food prices.

New York City -- Victoria’s Secret will begins construction on a multi- million dollar renovation of its store in Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas in late May.

Construction will take approximately three-months to complete. The newly renovated 7,722-sq.-ft. store will serve as a prototype for Victoria’s Secret, featuring various design elements not found at any of its other Las Vegas locations. 

New York City -- Nordstrom is taking its vaunted customer service to the next level: The company will roll out mobile checkout devices to its stores nationwide by the start of its anniversary sale in July, Nordstrom president Blake Nordstrom told shareholders Wednesday at the company's annual meeting in Seattle. The retailer, which has tried a variety of different devices, is currently testing the iPod Touch in its downtown Seattle and Bellevue Square stores.

New York City -- Target Corp. is setting up three distribution centers in Canada in preparation for its debut north of the border, according to a report in The Globe and Mail.

Although the retailer could have supplied the stores from its U.S. warehouses, it chose to set up a network specifically for its Canadian operations, the report said, with DCs planned for Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.