Sales & Marketing

Houston – Stage Stores' fiscal fourth-quarter net income plunged 30%, stung by a charge tied to the sale of its Steele's off-price division and softer revenue. Its adjusted earnings, however, topped analysts' estimates.

Stage Stores announced that it is selling its off-price retail division Steele's to Hilco Global Retail Group in an equity deal.

For the quarter ended Feb. 1, Stage Stores earned $24.9 million, down from $35.8 million in the year-ago period.  

Irvine, Calif. -- Auction.com,  the world’s largest online real estate marketplace, has received a $50 million investment from Google Capital. As part of the investment, one representative from Google Capital will join the company’s board of directors and another will take a board observer position.

Just as the winter months draw to a close, SC Johnson's Glade brand announced a line of new spring-inspired scents, which it says will evoke the excitement of the change of seasons.

The Glade Limited Edition Spring Collection consists of five new fragrances:

Cincinnati – The Kroger Co. earned a better-than-expected $422 million in its fourth quarter, down from $462 million in the year-ago period, which included an additional week of sales. The nation’s largest supermarket operator issued a better-than-expected profit for the year ahead.

Canton, Mass. — Dunkin’ Donuts has signed a multi-unit store development agreement with Sizzling Donuts, an existing franchise group, for 46 new restaurants throughout the greater Sacramento, Calif., metro area and the surrounding cities of Stockton, Modesto, Tracy, Manteca, Placerville and Davis.

Bad weather and a reduction in food stamps didn’t seem to have an effect on Kroger during the fourth quarter as the retailer posted a 4.3% increase in identical-store sales, meaningful profit improvement and offered an optimistic outlook for the year ahead.

Walmart didn’t mention competitive issues as a source of sales weakness during its fourth quarter, but reports this week from Kroger and Costco indicate they were at least a contributing factor.

New York — Edens has announced the winner of the 2014 Edens Retail Challenge, a nation-wide student competition seeking compelling new retail concepts.

This year’s winner is Joe Cut, a mobile hair salon that brings the haircut directly to the business college student through a mobile store and reservation app. Babson College undergraduates Michael Kliska, Paulina Bosque, Adriana Contreras and Nina Shapiro founded the business, which will primarily service male customers on campuses in the U.S.