Supply Chain & Merchandising

Cincinnati — Kroger Co. is reportedly planning to build a $250 million distribution center in the suburban Atlanta area. According to the Cincinnati Business Courier, Kroger will open the 1 million-sq.-ft. facility in the suburb of Forest Park, on the site of the former Fort Gillem army base by September 2015.

The distribution center will open with 700 to 900 skilled workers, and eventually employ about 1,500 people. Kroger declined to comment on the report.

Newly separated from Sears Holdings, Lands' End reported respectable sales growth during a first quarter that saw it vow to become a global lifestyle brand.

Lands' End completed its separation from Sears on April 4 and for the quarter ended May 2 said its sales increased 3.6% to $330.5 million, driven by a 4.8% increase in the direct segment offset by a 2.3% decrease in the retail segment. Profits increased 48.1% to $10.9 million, or 34 cents a share, compared to $7.3 million, or 23 cents a year the prior year.

Neiman Marcus may have reported total revenues of $1.16 billion for the third quarter, compared to $1.10 billion in the prior year, and a comparable-store sales increase of 5.9%, but the company’s profits took a hit, as traffic to brick-and-mortar stores decreased compared to last year.

Lululemon Athletica Inc.'s first-quarter net income plunged 60%, impacted by a one-time tax adjustment. Although its adjusted profit and revenue beat Wall Street's expectations for the quarter, the retailer lowered its full-year earnings forecast.

Lululemon said that CFO John Currie plans to retire by the end of its fiscal year (February 2015).

San Francisco — La Boulange, the bakery-café chain owned by Starbucks, has opened its first restaurant outside its base of San Francisco, in Los Angeles. The new all-day menu offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, using local California-sourced ingredients wherever possible, as well as tap wine and beer and specialty cocktails.

New York — Target Corp. is introducing a new policy by imposing new rules on the cleaning companies it hires to clean its stores in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, Businessweek reported.

Dollarama said that its first-quarter results were adversely affected by challenging weather conditions, but the company reported continued growth in sales and net earnings.

Canada's leading dollar store operator of 899 locations across the country reported sales for the quarter of $501.1 million, an 11.8% increase from $448.1 million in the prior-year periord. The increase in sales was driven by the growth in the number of stores in the past 12 months and strong Easter sales and continued organic sales growth driven by comparable store sales growth of 3.3%.

Despite announcing a $450 million share buyback program in conjunction with its first-quarter results, Lululemon’s shares dropped 10% as it continues trying to regain its footing in an increasingly competitive field.

Net revenue for the quarter increased 11% to $384.6 million from $345.8 million in the prior-year quarter. Sales at stores and online inched up 1%, primarily driven by an online sales increase of 25%, which offset a 4% decrease same-store sales.