Sales & Marketing

Walmart U.S. chief merchandising and marketing officer Duncan Mac Naughton will have some explaining to do next week when he is scheduled to participate in the 33rd Annual William Blair Growth Stock Conference on Wednesday, June 12.

The Woodlands, Texas -- Conn's Inc.’s net income nearly doubled in its first-quarter, with strong sales of furniture and mattresses and some higher prices. The company lifted its fiscal 2014 adjusted earnings forecast.

Conn's earned a better-than-expected $22.2 million for the quarter ended April 30, up from $11.6 million a year ago.

Revenue jumped 25% to $251.1 million. Same-store sales rose 16.5%.

SUFFERN, N.Y. — Lower-than-expected foot traffic driven in part by unseasonably cold weather was not enough to negatively impact Ascena Retail Group’s net sales for the third quarter ended April 27, which were bolstered by the recently acquired Lane Bryant and Catherines businesses.

For much of the past decade the persistent problem Walmart had to address with shareholders at its annual meeting was a long dormant share price. That’s not the case this year, but there are plenty of other issues to concern shareholders.

By Wade Savoy, [email protected]

Charlotte, N.C. -- Jones Lang LaSalle has signed industry veteran Stephanie Moore as VP in its Charlotte office. Moore will work with John Bemis, executive VP and retail lead for the southeast region.

Moore comes to Jones Lang LaSalle from CBRE, where she represented landlords such as Equity One, Tishman Speyer, Behringer Harvard and Grosvenor in acquisitions and dispositions. She also conducted nationwide searches for Max Mara, GAP, Godiva and Hickey Freeman.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Gymboree Corporation is looking to leverage the rebounding economy and trends for the rest of 2013, following a dip in its net sales for the first quarter ended May 4. 

The company reported net sales of $293 million for the quarter, a 1.7% decrease from $298 million for the first quarter ended April 28, 2012. Comparable sales for the quarter decreased 5% versus the first quarter of the year prior.

Portland, Ore. -- Regency Centers Corp. has announced a $6 million redevelopment of Greenway Town Center, a 93,000-sq.-ft. neighborhood center in Tigard, Ore., a suburb of Portland. Among the center’s enhancements, Whole Foods Market will open a 37,500-sq.-ft. anchor store in 2014.

The redevelopment will include a new exterior façade with cedar wood accents, upgraded architectural components, parking lot improvements and new site lighting, landscaping and signage.