eCommerce

Dillard’s says sales were particularly weak in the Southern states as the department store retailer reported a 35.6% drop in fourth quarter profit.

For the period ended Jan. 30, Dillard's had revenue of $2.07 billion for the fourth quarter, down from $2.1 billion during the same period a year ago. Net income was $130.5 million, or $3.17 per share, for the prior year fourth quarter. Same-store sales declined 2%. Net sales for the fourth quarter were $2.074 billion.

Sharing detailed data with vendors is an idea that has been around since the 1990s, and is gaining new life at Ahold USA Inc.

Ahold, parent company of supermarkets Giant Landover, Stop & Shop New England, Stop & Shop New York Metro, Giant Carlisle, and online grocery Peapod, has partnered with Retail Solutions Inc. (RSI) to introduce shared enterprise business processes with vendors. Ahold USA has leveraged RSI’s data platform and collaboration tools to better align its business goals and daily priorities with its vendor partners.

Hudson's Bay Company says online sales were particularly strong in the fourth quarter and contributed to the company's same-store sales growth of 11% for the period.

The Canadian firm and parent company of the Saks Fifth Avenue banners said that for the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31:

• Same-store sales grew 11%;
• The Department Store Group (DSG) had a same store sales increase of 4%;
• Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th same-store sales increased 2%;
• Saks Fifth Avenue same-store sales decreased 1.2%;

Office Depot continues to hope its merger with Staples secures approval from U.S. regulators, but in the meantime the performance of its retail operations is looking much better should it remain an independent company.

Office Depot’s North American retail footprint did shrink to 1,564 locations at the end of the year after the company closed a total of 181 stores, including 56 in the fourth quarter. Thinning the herd a bit helped the overall profitability of Office Depot’s largest division during the period ended Dec. 26 even though sales declined.

DSW has a robust store expansion plan in the works to tap future penetration within the U.S. market this year.

"New store growth is an important and exciting piece of the DSW formula. It allows us to bring the brand to more communities and build relationships with new customers. More stores also enable us to provide additional customers with immediate access to our full assortment. We look forward to engaging with these new customers and helping them find the perfect shoe at the prefect price," said Valara Gee, VP Stores

Just a few weeks after reporting sales growth of 3.2% for 2015, Stein Mart is embarking on the first phase of its 2016 store expansion plan.

The Florida-based retailer plans to open 12 new stores this year, with five of those stores scheduled to open this spring.

Ahold USA is following a cue from other retail giants in announcing that its companies' private label shell eggs will be 100% cage-free by 2022.

Ahold USA says its retail divisions – Stop & Shop, Giant Food of Landover, Giant Food Stores of Carlisle, Martin's and online grocer Peapod – now offer cage-free, free-range, organic, and traditional egg varieties for its customers.  Approximately 80% of all eggs sold among Ahold USA companies are sold as "Own Brands" or private label.

Retailers of women’s intimiate apparel are poised to benefit from a shift in how millennials approach the bra-buying process.

According to the 2015 Bra Journey Insights report from global information company the NPD Group, the way millennial women shop for and select bras differs significantly from the behavior of older generations.

CVS Health's decision to stop selling cigarettes is having its intended impact - 52% of those consumers who used to buy their cigarettes from CVS say it is now harder to buy cigarettes altogether, according to a survey commissioned by V2, a manufacturer of electronic cigarette and vaporizer products.

A brand best known for its whimsical neckties and smiling pink whale logo is opening a flagship in the Big Apple.

Vineyard Vines will open a 6,000-sq.-st. store in Grand Central Station. The company is also slated to open stores at Somerset Collection, Troy, Michigan, in early May, at Hyde Park in Tampa, Florida, in August, and at Stanford Town Center in mid-March and The Village of Corte Madera in mid-June (with the latter two locations in California).