Discount Store

DALLAS — Zale has named Beth Pritchard to its Board effective March 9. This appointment will increase the total number of board seats to eight.

Vacated shells of circa-1985 outlet shopping centers still dot the nation’s highways, but that’s not the format version that is finding a foothold among consumers and retailers.

A new value-oriented center, anchored by top-tier designer names, has opened the eyes and pocketbooks of American shoppers. Mainstream amenities have created the expectation that, while the goods may be discounted, the experience most definitely isn’t.

ST. LOUIS — Supervalu subsidiary Save-A-Lot is expanding its presence in Pennsylvania.

The company is slated to open four new stores in Pennsylvania in February and March, bringing the total number of Save-A-Lot stores in the state to 76, the company said.

How much is a brand worth? If the brand in question happens to be Walmart, the answer is an eye-popping $139 billion, according to Interbrand Design Forum’s ranking of the top 50 U.S. retail brands by brand value. The study calculates the financial net worth of retail brands based on three metrics: the brand’s financial performance, the role the brand plays in driving consumer selection, and the ability of the brand to secure the delivery of expected future earnings.

WASHINGTON — Retailers hoping to see a boost in sales this tax season may be out of luck as more Americans this year plan to save their refunds.

The National Retail Federation's tax returns consumer survey, conducted by BIGinsight, found that 43.8% of those expecting refunds will save some of that money, up from 42.l% who said so last year and the most in the survey’s nine-year history. Two-thirds (66.2%) of tax payers are expecting a refund this year, the exact same as last year.

Despite the fact that the nation is still in the throes of winter, albeit a mild one, open-air centers continue to draw shoppers and generate leasing interest among retailers.

In the early days of upscale lifestyle centers, and before enhanced strip centers and specialty formats, the longevity of some open-air centers came under question as developers, retailers and consumers alike challenged the shopability of the format outside the sunbelt regions.

Framingham, Mass. -- TJX Cos. reported that its fiscal fourth-quarter profit rose 42% to $475.3 million, from $334.4 million a year earlier. The owner of Marshalls, HomeGoods and T.J. Maxx also announced plans to repurchase up to $1.3 billion of stock this fiscal year.

For the quarter, sales rose 6% to $6.7 billion. Same-store sales increased 7%.

"We enter a new fiscal year with considerable momentum in our business and are off to a very strong start in 2012," said CEO Carol Meyrowitz.

CHESAPEAKE, Va — Dollar Tree's sales and earnings growth for the fourth quarter and fiscal year is just another example of how discounters dominated in 2011. 

The company reported that net sales for the fourth quarter were $1.95 billion, a 12.8% increase compared with $1.73 billion reported for the quarter ended Jan. 29, 2011. Comparable-store sales increased 7.3%, on top of a 3.9% increase for the fourth quarter 2010.