Retail

CHM has broken ground on University Commons, billed as the first urban, vertical retail complex in Knoxville, Tenn.

The multi-story urban shopping and dining development, located on the former Fulton Bellows site adjacent to the University of Tennessee, will cover 12+ acres, with 211,000 sq. ft. of retail space and parking.  Anchored by Walmart and Publix, University Commons will add another 40,000 sq. ft. of smaller shop space once the project is completed.

Is it just me, or does it seem like the past two months or so have seen an unusually high level of turnover at the top? It's gotten so that you need a scorecard to keep up with all the comings and goings, as chief executives are forced out, jump ship, retire or move on.

This year's changing of the guard is bittersweet because it includes the retirement of two veteran retailers, Steve Burd of Safeway and Maxine Clark of Build-A-Bear Workshop.

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%.

Houston -- The Men's Wearhouse Inc. posted a larger-than-expected loss for its fiscal fourth quarter. The retailer also announced that it was exploring the possible sale of its weaker performing K&G unit.

The company lost $3.4 million for the quarter that ended Feb. 2, compared to a loss of $3.8 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue rose 8.2% to $608.4 million. Revenue from Men's Wearhouse stores, which made up 61% of the quarter’s sales, rose 9.1%.

New York -- Target is expanding its retail clinic presence in the Chicago area, according to the Chicago Tribune.
 
The retailer plans to open three in-store health clinics — two in the suburbs and one in the city — in the Chicago area, the report said. Construction is scheduled to start on May 28, and grand openings are planned for Aug. 18. The Target on Division Street, scheduled to open in October, will also have a clinic.