eCommerce

Kearney, Neb. -- Teen retailer The Buckle Inc. reported Thursday that profit surged 11% to $38.3 million for the third quarter, compared with $34.4 million in the year-ago period.

Online sales increased 25.4% in the quarter. Total revenue climbed 12% to $273.4 million, beating Wall Street’s expected $272.1 million. Same-store sales rose 9.1%.
 

City of Industry, Calif. -- Hot Topic Inc. reported Wednesday that profit rose to $3.1 million in the quarter ended Oct. 29, compared with $400,000 in the year-ago period. Prior-year results were weighed down by charges from its ShockHound website, which folded.

Revenue fell 4% to $175.8 million from $183.2 million in the quarter, missing Wall Street’s expected $177.8 million in revenue.

Same-store sales dipped 1.6% at Hot Topic and Torrid stores, attributed to disappointing Halloween sales.
 

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp. reported Thursday that its loss widened in the third quarter on softness in its Canada division and on weaker consumer electronics sales.

The operator of Sears and Kmart recorded a loss of $421 million in the quarter ended Oct. 29, compared with a loss of $218 million a year earlier.

Revenue slipped 1% to $9.57 billion from $9.68 billion, missing the $9.63 billion expected by Wall Street, and marking the fourth straight quarter of revenue declines.

MINNEAPOLIS — Profits at Target grew 10.2% to 82 cents in the third quarter compared with 74 cents the prior year thanks to healthy sales growth and ongoing improvement in the company’s credit card business. 

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — OfficeMax has announced that it has entered into an agreement with RadioShack whereby RadioShack employees will offer mobile products and services, including prepaid and postpaid wireless products, accessories and service plans, as well as assist in selling OfficeMax consumer electronics products and services, in approximately 15 to 20 OfficeMax stores in the San Francisco market. The pilot program will begin in January 2012. 

SALISBURY, N.C. — Discount grocer Bottom Dollar Food is hiring more than 800 associates over the next several months to begin to prepare for store openings next year, the company announced Wednesday.

"We look forward to expanding in Pittsburgh and Youngstown, Ohio, next year, and bringing new jobs to these areas," stated Bottom Dollar Food president Meg Ham. Bottom Dollar Food is expected to open 14 stores in early 2012. 

New York City -- Holiday sales growth will lag behind last year’s robust gains as consumers hold back in an uncertain economy. The roughly 3% growth will be driven by high prices due to inflation, rather than any increase in demand, according to a new report by Moody's Investors Service.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. announced that shoppers at more than 65 of its stores across the Bay Area can now use Google Wallet to pay with a single tap of your phone.

Google Wallet supports most Citi PayPass eligible MasterCard credit cards and the Google Prepaid Card.
 

New York City -- Off-price retailer Daffy's on Wednesday is opening a nineteenth location, in New York City’s Times Square.

The new 17,000-sq.-ft. store, located at 218 West 44th Street in the former New York Times building.

New Albany, Ohio -- Abercrombie & Fitch earnings rose 1.7% in the third quarter, well short of analysts’ estimates, as rising costs pressures offset a big jump in sales.

For the quarter ended Oct. 30, the chain reported $50.9 million in earnings, up from $50 million in the same period last year. Total sales rose 21% to $1.08 billion, more or less in line with Wall Street estimates.

Total international sales including e-commerce rose 56% to $255.7 million. In the United States, sales rose 14% to $820.2 million.