Supply Chain & Merchandising

Urban Outfitters posted sales and earnings for its third quarter that failed to meet analysts expectation amid a traffic slowdown and increased promotions at its Anthropologie and Free People stores.   Urban Outfitters earned $47 million, or 40 cents a share, in the third quarter ended Oct. 31, compared with $52 million, or 42 cents a share, in the year-ago period.   Sales rose 5% to $862 million, compared with $825 million a year ago. Same-store sales, which include online, rose 1%.  

With the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reporting more than 1,000 forborne outbreaks annually, Walmart is taking a proactive stance.  

Cost cuts help improve Barnes & Noble’s profitability in the third quarter even as its sales continued to decline.    “While we are pleased to have improved our performance due to expense reductions, we did experience sluggish sales, which we believe are directly related to the election cycle,” said Len Riggio, chairman and CEO of Barnes & Noble. "With the election behind us, we hope and expect sales will improve over the holidays."  

Things are looking up at Chico’s FAS.   The women’s apparel retailer on Tuesday reported net income of $23.6 million for the third quarter, after reporting a net loss of $11.6 million in the same period a year earlier.   Chico’s had a profit of 18 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to 20 cents per share. The results topped Wall Street expectations.  

Kirkland's has named its very first COO.    The home décor retailer named Mike Cairnes as executive VP and COO, effective November 28, 2016.   Cairnes brings 25 years of experience in home décor retailing and manufacturing to Kirkland's. He was most recently with Michael's Stores, where he served concurrently as president of its Aaron's Brothers retail business, since 2015, and president of its Artistree framing business, since 2007.    

An LED upgrade has added to Rosenberg True Value Hardware’s to bottom line profitably.     The retailer, who operates two True Value stores in Michigan (in the towns of White Cloud and Grant), switched out the existing T8 fluorescent lamps in the stores in favor of 18-watt, 2200 lumen, 4000K, four-ft. T8 LED linear tubes (from EarthTronics, Muskegon, Michigan).   

Mid-America Asset Management has named Tracee Johnson senior asset manager, investing her with full responsibility for maintaining relationships with retail tenants.   Johnson, a 10-year veteran of Mid-America, will also be responsible for budgeting and operational planning and oversight of the more than 60 million sq. ft. of retail the company leases and manages throughout the Midwest.   Johnson is a licensed real estate broker in Illinois.

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The contractor that flies packages for Amazon and DHL Worldwide Express, ABX Air, has asked a federal judge to force its striking pilots back to work as it looks to put an early end to what could be a major disruption to holiday deliveries, Bloomberg reported.