Sales & Marketing

Eden Prairie, Minn. — McAlister’s Corp., a quick-casual restaurant chain with more than McAlister’s Deli locations across the United States, has chosen WAND Corp. to provide an enterprise level digital menu board solution for all McAlister’s Deli corporate and franchise digital sites. The project promises to be one of the largest U.S. deployments of digital menu boards to date.

INDIANAPOLIS —  Hhgregg has reported net income of $14.6 million for the fourth quarter ended March 31, or net income per diluted share of 36 cents, compared with net income of $10 million, or 25 cents per diluted share, for the comparable prior year period. Net sales for the period increased 21.5% to $507 million from $417 million, while same-store sales were down 10.8%

Secaucus, N.J. — Syms Corp. said Thursday it is mulling selling itself and other strategic alternatives as the company continues to struggle after acquiring Filene’s Basement in 2009.

The off-price retailer, which bought Filene’s out of bankruptcy for $62.4 million in 2Q 2009, said its board is currently evaluating its options. It reported a loss at the end of its fiscal year in February, and losses had widened as of earlier this month.

Suffern, N.Y. — Ascena Retail Group Inc. said Wednesday that its fiscal third-quarter profit rose 8% on increased sales at its Dressbarn, Maurices and Justice clothing stores.

The retailer, formerly known as The Dress Barn Inc., reported net income of $51.8 million for the three months ended April 30, up from $48 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue rose 9% to $722.8 million from $665.5 million in the same quarter a year ago. Dressbarn revenue rose 5% in the quarter, and Maurices revenue jumped 17%. Justice sales rose 6%.

CITY OF COMMERCE, Calif. — 99 Cents Only Stores announced that retail sales for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011, a 14-week period, were $366.4 million, compared with $328.6 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010, a 13-week period. The additional week included in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 contributed an additional $26.9 million of retail sales, the company reported. Same-store sales, calculated on a comparable 13-week period, increased 0.5%

Goodlettsville, Tenn. — Dollar General Corp. announced that it plans to open its first stores in California in 2012 following successful expansions in such other western states as Arizona and Colorado in recent years.

“Our California stores will mark a significant milestone for Dollar General, giving us a coast-to-coast presence for the first time,” said Rick Dreiling, chairman and CEO.

Walmart is scheduled to hold its annual shareholders’ meeting one week from today, and the event is a tale of two meetings. One the one hand, there is the pageantry and puffery of the actual shareholders meeting, which runs from 7 a.m. to about 11 a.m. central time. If the company holds true to form the event will be a high-energy, star-studded affair that is long on style and short on substance with a dollop of official business thrown in. The event is designed primarily for the thousands of employees who attend from throughout the U.S.

Chicago — Jones Lang LaSalle announced it has appointed Tod Lickerman as CEO of the firm’s Americas Corporate Solutions business.  

Lickerman, formerly CEO of the Commercial Solutions group, assumes the role effective immediately.  Stuart Hicks, who previously held the CEO for Corporate Solutions role, will assume a new role as President, Strategic Clients, focused on integrating client solutions.