Mass Merchant

Destination Maternity has appointed the managing partner of investment firm Voce Capital to the company's board of directors.

"As a long-term investor in Destination Maternity, we look forward to bringing additional shareholder perspective to the board and continuing to work constructively with the company to help enhance its value," J. Daniel Plants of Voce Capital said.

Columbus, Ohio – DSW Inc. exceeded Wall Street expectations for net income and sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2014. Net income fell a less than expected 10% to $49.55 million from $54.96 million the same quarter a year earlier, with higher operating expenses and lower pretax income contributing to the decline. Sales totaled $670 million compared to $633 million and same-store sales rose 2.6%.

New York — J. Crew provided the best overall online customer service in October, marking the retailer’s third time topping the Stella Benchmarks rankings from StellaService in 2014. The retailer ranked 4th in phone, second in email, eighth in shipping and 17th in returns.
  Stella Benchmarks includes 138 companies evaluated on a daily basis by StellaService. Customer care channels, phone, email and chat, are measured daily, while fulfillment metrics are measured across multiple orders each month.
 

Memphis, Tenn. – Fred’s Inc. swung to a net loss of $10.4 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2014, compared to net income of $7.3 million in the same quarter a year earlier. Costs associated with closing five underperforming stores in the third quarter, and an anticipated 47 stores in the fourth quarter, contributed to the loss, which exceeded Wall Street projections.

Retailers are facing a growing onslaught of lawsuits from current and former managers and assistant managers who claim their employers should have paid them for overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The managers’ assert that much of what the work managers and assistant managers do is not truly managerial and, therefore under the FLSA, they should not be exempt from receiving overtime pay for any time worked over 40 hours in a week.

Wine with screw top lids was bad enough for purists, now retailers are filling their shelves with wine-based products package in cans.

When was the last time you heard someone say, without a trace of irony, that a big-box store helped them get through the day?

Twenty-five years ago, Ray Oldenburg published “The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Community Centers, Beauty Parlors, General Stores, Bars, Hangouts and How They Get You Through the Day.” Oldenburg, an urban sociologist, explained how certain stores were more than just places to shop.

Shopping is going to get a little bit easier for travelers rushing through the Toronto airport this holiday season thanks to Mattel and Walmart Canada.

The retailer and the toy supplier have teamed up to install a Virtual Toy Store at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

The installation features three LCD screens that consumers can personalize and control via a mobile device to browse and shop brands such as Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, Thomas & Friends, Mega Bloks, and Monster High.