Mass Merchant

Suffern, N.Y. -- Ascena Retail Group Inc reported its fiscal third-quarter profit rose to $33.2 million, from $31.2 million in the year ago period.

Revenue inched up 0.3% to $1.145 billion, compared to $1.142 billion a year earlier, driven by new store growth at Justice and Maurices, along with higher comparable sales at Lane Bryant, Maurices and Catherines, mostly offset by comparable sales declines at Justice and Dressbarn.

Total same store sales rose 1%.

Middleton, Wis. -- American Girl, a division of Mattel, announced plans to open its newest store at Scottsdale Quarter, an open-air lifestyle center owned by Glimcher Realty Trust and located in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The 12,000-sq.-ft. store is slated to open in late summer of 2015 and will be located within a new 180,000-sq.-ft. expansion of the property.

Kennesaw, Ga. — Pep Boys has signed a 10-year lease for 5,000 sq. ft. at Orchard Square center in Kennesaw, Georgia.

According to the landlord, Westwood Financial Corp. (www.westfin.com), one of the nation’s largest privately held retail shopping center owners, the space was expanded by 1,000 sq. ft. to 5,000 sq. ft. to meet Pep Boys’ current prototype.

New York -- Walmart plans to expand its online price comparison tool, Savings Catcher, that compares prices on select products with those of some of its competitors to cities nationwide over the next few months, the Associated Press said. The retailer is also adding more products to the tool, which will now be available on Walmart's mobile app.

Ascena Retail Group president and CEO David Jaffe said sales in the third quarter were challenging, and despite comparable sales declines at Justice and Dressbarn, new store growth at Justice and Maurices, along with higher comparable sales at Lane Bryant, Maurices and Catherines bolstered the company’s overall results.

The company’s third-quarter profit rose to $33.2 million, from $31.2 million in the year ago period. Revenue inched up 0.3% to $1.145 billion, compared to $1.142 billion a year earlier. Total same store sales rose 1%.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Sam's Club announced it will launch a new credit card using EMV chip-enabled technology on June 23, beating Target as the first mass retailer to move to the new technology. The new card — co-branded with MasterCard Inc. and issued by GE Capital Retail Bank — has an embedded chip that makes the card more difficult to duplicate, which provides enhanced security from fraudulent activity, according to Sam’s Club.

King of Prussia, Pa. -- eBay Enterprise, an eBay company, plans to increase adoption of omnichannel commerce technologies globally after securing 451 clients and 862 extension and renewals in the first half of 2014. The brands that turned to eBay Enterprise to power their retail growth include Alex and Ani, Boxpark, Destination XL, Karmaloop, MailPix and StubHub.

Current clients have also added new services to enhance the consumer experience.