Retail

Hamilton, Bermuda -- Signet Jewelers Ltd. on Thursday posted a better-than-expected 30% surge in profit its fourth quarter.

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) recently conducted a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to simplify the process of selling to the major retailer.

Working with the American Logistics Association, AAFES participated in the trade group’s 2015 Exchange Impact Workshop in Dallas. Led by AAFES Chief Merchandising Officer Ana Middleton, she and more than 50 AAFES representatives detailed the Exchanges’ go to market strategy to an audience comprised of manufacturers, brokers, distributors, and service providers.

New York -- Thor Equities has signed a contract to acquire a prime retail and office property at 102 Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris. “102 Avenue des Champs-Elysees is at the center of one of the most desirable locations in the world, just blocks from the Arc de Triomphe and Place Charles de Gaulle,” said Joseph Sitt, CEO of Thor Equities.  “We continue to believe strongly in the Paris retail market, in particular prime shopping and tourist destinations such as the Champs-Elysees and Boulevard Haussmann.”
 

Some retailers have had a rough time being successful in Canada, but not Dollarama, where profits, sales and store counts are on the increase.

In fact, customers increased their spending at the Canadian discounter over the fourth quarter, leading to  the chain’s quarterly profit rising about 21%.

Facebook is aiming to revolutionize the way customers communicate with retailers by re-inventing the customer service platform.

The tech giant is inviting retailers and other companies to develop software that allows customers to communicate instantly with them through Facebook Messenger. Facebook and its partner Zendesk, a customer service platform firm, are teaming up to allow businesses to provide scalable and responsive customer service to the more than 600 million people worldwide who use Messenger.

New York -- Facebook hopes to transform the way  customers communicate with retailers by re-inventing the customer service platform. Facebook and its partner Zendesk, a customer service platform firm, are teaming up to allow businesses to provide scalable and responsive customer service to the more than 600 million people worldwide who use Facebook's popular Messenger app. The social media giant is inviting retailers and other companies to develop software that allows customers to communicate instantly with them through Messenger.

Philadelphia -- Five Below Inc. on Wednesday reported better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter net income of $33.3 million. It also confirmed plans to open 70 stores in 2015, up from 62 in 2014.

Net sales in the quarter, ended Jan. 31, increased by 24.4% to $263.8 million from $212.0 million the year-ago period. Same-store sales increased by 3.2%. The results exceeded Wall Street expectations.

For the year, the company reported profit of $48 million. Revenue was reported as $680.2 million.

Duluth, Ga. -- NCR Corp. announced that NCR Government Systems will modernize operations for the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA). DeCA’s Enterprise Business Solution (EBS), built upon NCR’s software solutions, will help to transform DeCA’s mission-critical retail systems and provide industry-leading capabilities that optimize its operations from warehouse replenishment through to the point-of-sale, along with customer loyalty management and payment solutions.