Sales & Marketing

VF Corp.'s new strategy is focused on maintaining the company's longevity — even in a rapidly changing marketplace.

Dollarama ended the year with a strong fourth quarter, an increase it credits to higher customer spending.   For the fourth quarter ended January 29, 2017, the Canadian discount retailer’s sales increased by 11.5% to $854.5 million. The chain’s gross margin was 41.4% of sales, compared to 40.8% of sales.  

The coffee chain is taking mobile ordering to a new level.   Through a partnership with mapping and navigation app Waze, Dunkin’ Donuts is launching its new “Order Ahead” program — a move that not only streamlines the mobile ordering process, but helps guests get to their destination faster.  

Amazon is getting is shutting down one of its units after it failed to turn a profit.   The company pulling the plug on Quidsi, parent company of diapers.com, soap.com and several other shopping sites, which it purchased in 2010. The news was first reported by Bloomberg.   

Going local is the big trend in retail center food and beverage options, so why not for retail brokerage houses?   That’s the tack CBRE is taking in its Seattle office with the hiring of two long-time leasing pros from Washington State-based Wallace Properties, which lays claim to scouting out the best locations from “Olympia to Bellingham and from Seattle to Spokane.”  

A stronger focus on product innovation and digital initiatives contributed to gains during Lululemon’s fourth quarter, but a slow start to the year impacted the company’s expectations for Q1 2017.  

Ending its fiscal year with a strong fourth quarter has helped J.Jill hit year-over-year earnings growth for 20 consecutive quarters.   For the quarter ended January 28, 2017, the retailer’s total net sales increased by 14.8% to $166.9 million, up from $145.4 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015. Gross profit increased to $105.5 million, up from $91.4 million in the same period last year. As a percentage of total net sales, gross profit was 63.2% compared to 62.9% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015.