Retail

Lynwood, Wash. -- Zumiez Inc. said Thursday its fiscal fourth quarter net income rose 22.1% to $22.9 million on improved sales.

Revenue for the quarter, ended Feb.2, (14 weeks) increased to $224.4 million from $183.9 million in the year-ago period (13 weeks). Same-store sales fell 1%.

Zumiez said it plans to open about 60 new stores in the current fiscal year, including up to 10 stores in Canada and six stores in Europe.

St. Louis -- Brown Shoe Co. reported Friday that net income of the fourth quarter was $4 million, compared with a loss of $8.2 million in the year-ago period.

Sales rose to $640.2 million from $628.9 million.

For full year 2012, profit edged up to $27.5 million from $24.6 million. Sales increased to $2.59 billion from $2.58 billion.

Paul Loux

Senior VP Store Design, Sephora Americas

HEADQUARTERS San Francisco

TYPE OF BUSINESS Beauty and fragrance retailer

NUMBER OF STORES 1,600 global locations, including 325 stores in North America and 386 in-store shops in J.C. Penney

Beauty and cosmetics retailer Sephora is ignited not only by its highly trained cast of associates and smart, forward-thinking approach to in-store digital, but also by the man behind the black, white and red store design.

Canton, Mass. -- Destination XL Group reported Friday that net income for the quarter ended Feb. 2 dropped to $4.2 million from $33.5 million in the year-ago period, as the company continued its transition from Casual Male to Destination XL.

Fourth-quarter revenue increased to $114.9 million, compared with $111.1 million last year, and same-store sales edged up 0.5%. By brand, DXL stores saw a same-store sales rise of 15% in the quarter, while Casual Male dipped 2.3%.

High-traction flooring materials are key in reducing risk

Slip-and-fall accidents in public places, including retail stores, are the leading cause of premise liability injuries and rank among facilities managers' top management issues. And with the elderly particularly vulnerable to falls, the size and scope of the problem is likely to grow in the near future given the aging of the baby boomers.

Don Kingsborough, VP retail services, PayPal, San Jose, Calif.

New York -- Aeropostale Inc. reported an unexpected loss for its fourth quarter, hurt by declining same-store sales and store asset impairment charges. The teen apparel chain also forecast a loss for the current quarter, citing markdowns and a weak economy.

"We anticipate a challenging first quarter as a result of expected margin pressures from holiday carryover inventory, and the impact of a weak macroeconomic environment,” said Aeropostale CEO Thomas Johnson.

Edwin Watts Golf replaces aging legacy systems with ERP option

Edwin Watts Golf has grown significantly during the past several years, expanding its store portfolio and direct mail and Internet businesses as well. With growth came an increased complexity that taxed the capabilities of its aging legacy systems, which did not provide visibility across channels and among stores. The retailer decided it was time to invest in a new solution due to the age and fragmentation of its existing systems.