Department Store

Houston -- Stage Stores' fiscal fourth-quarter profit rose 15% on increased sales. The department store operator said its board approved a new buyback of up to $200 million of its outstanding shares.

The department store operator reported net income of $32 million for the period ended Jan. 29, up from $27.9 million a year earlier.

Revenue rose 5% to $453.7 million, from $431.7 million. Analysts expected $453.5 million in revenue.

New York City -- Skechers USA has sued Sears Holdings Corp, alleging that the chain was selling footwear that infringed on some of Skechers brands, including its toning Shape-ups line, Reuters reported.

"While we value our relationship with Sears, their actions are causing us tremendous damage, and we simply cannot let any company, let alone a company the size of Sears, infringe on our most valuable intellectual property," Philip Paccione, general counsel of Skechers, said.

WASHINGTON -- With Easter falling in late April this year, retailers are without a major holiday to boost March sales, and many are expecting weaker sales this month. However, thanks to St. Patrick's Day, which falls on March 17, retailers have the help of this micro-holiday.

New York City -- Urban Outfitters will debut its newest brand, a bridal-shop concept called Bhldn, in early fall, in Houston. The company launched the brand online in February.

Urban Outfitters will open 50 to 55 stores in its current fiscal year, with the emphasis on growing its Free People brand and expansion of its namesake division and Anthropologie in Europe.

DALLAS -- High-end apparel retailer Neiman Marcus has announced the launch of NMdaily, a fashion blog, which the company said will provide daily updates from "the front lines of the design world." 

"By producing a blog with a truly editorial point of view, we are creating a new and exciting online customer experience," said Wanda Gierhart, CMO Neiman Marcus Group. "NMdaily is central to our social media activities."

Luxury and style take center stage at the new C&A Brazil flagship in Shopping Center Iguatemi, San Paulo, Brazil.

The design, by Chute Gerdeman Retail, Columbus, Ohio, creates an entirely new C&A brand expression, and elevates the in-store experience through luxurious material finishes, arresting visual presentation, iconic architecture, compelling brand messaging and unique customer services.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  -- Walmart has joined the likes of Sears and Barnes & Noble in offering Amazon.com affiliates the opportunity to join its own network. The retailer today issued an open invitation to all Illinois online affiliates to explore the opportunity to join Walmart.com's affiliate network. This invitation comes as Amazon.com and Overstock.com threaten to terminate their relationships with all Illinois affiliates should H.B. 3659 (Main Street Fairness Act) be signed into law.

Philadelphia -- Urban Outfitters reported Monday that net income for the quarter ended Jan. 31 dipped slightly to $75 million, compared with $77 million in the year-ago period.

For the full year, profit rose to $273 million from $220 million a year earlier.

Fourth-quarter net sales rose 14% to $668 million. Same-store sales for the quarter increased 4%. By brand, same-store sales rose 1% at Anthropologie, 28% at Free People and 5% for Urban Outfitters.