eCommerce

HINGHAM, Mass. — Talbots' fourth-quarter loss widened to $53.2 million, or 77 cents per share, from last year’s loss from continuing operations of $2.8 million, or 4 cents per share. 

Fiscal year 2011 loss from continuing operations was $111.8 million, or $1.62 per share, compared with last year’s income from continuing operations of $7.6 million, or 11 cents per share. 

DALLAS — Neiman Marcus Group announced that Joshua Schulman has been appointed president of Bergdorf Goodman, effective May 7.

Schulman, 40, joins Neiman Marcus from Jimmy Choo where he was CEO. In this role, he oversaw the international expansion of the brand and the growth of jimmychoo.com. Prior to Jimmy Choo, Schulman was president, Kenneth Cole New York, and managing director, international strategic alliances, Gap Inc.

Impressive. That is the best way to describe what a ballroom full of financial analysts and thousands of others watching via Web cast saw unfold Thursday inside a Toronto hotel ballroom where Walmart held its annual international meeting for the financial community.

NEW YORK — After projecting that consumers likely would spend the same or more at retail this spring, Deloitte reported Thursday that its Consumer Spending Index climbed in March, marking only the third monthly increase over the past 12 months.

The Index, which comprises four components — tax burden, initial unemployment claims, real wages and real home prices — rose to 1.80 from an upwardly revised reading of 1.52 the previous month. Despite this increase, however, Deloitte noted that several factors may be restricting consumer cash flow:

Plenty of televisions in Northwest Arkansas will be tuned to CNBC the evening of April 26. That’s when the financial news network airs a one-hour special called, “The Costco Craze: Inside the Warehouse Giant.”

CNBC has turned its cameras on Walmart in the past, twice actually, and more recently Best Buy and Target. Previews for the show on Costco promise to uncover the science and secrets behind the Costco craze.

MINNEAPOLIS — Best Buy’s announcement on Tuesday morning that its CEO Brian Dunn had resigned the company by mutual agreement has been updated with information that a review is being conducted concerning the former chief executive’s personal conduct.

Best Buy initially said that there were no disagreements or specific problems related to the retailer’s operations, financial controls or procedures. But later in the day on Tuesday it said the company was conducting an internal investigation into his “personal conduct.”

PLANO, Texas — Personnel changes are quite common these days at JCPenney, the latest involving CFO Michael Dastugue,  who is leaving the company effective April 13. The company has named COO Michael Kramer as interim CFO while a search for a new CFO is conducted.

MONTREAL — Dollar stores in the United States have seen much success in recent years (check out Retailing Today's report on Dollar General here) and they appear to be doing just as well north of the border.