Supply Chain & Merchandising

Reduced demand for firearms, ammunition and related products, as well as weak sales of winter-related products thanks to unseasonably warm and dry conditions in most of the company's western markets affected Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation’s performance in the first quarter ended March 30.

Eleven centers opened last year, with 50 more on the drawing boards

The recession lit the fuse that has produced an explosion of outlet center development.

Toano, Va. - Net income at Lumber Liquidators decreased 13.2% to $13.7 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2014, compared to $15.8 million in the same period the prior year. During fiscal 2014, the retailer intends to open 35 to 40 new store locations in the expanded showroom format and remodel 25 to 30 existing stores in the expanded showroom format.

Austin, Texas - Online prescription eyewear retailer Eyebuydirect.com (EBD) has launched a new website featuring with more than 1,200 customizable frames. EBD has streamlined the online shopping experience for prescription glasses with the Eye Try tool, which allows customers to upload a photo of themselves in order to virtually try on any pair of frames available on the site.  
Each pair of glasses is adjusted according to the individual’s pupillary distance (PD) and eye alignment.

Barely a week after leaving RadioShack, Troy Risch has landed on his feet at rival electronics retailer H.H. Gregg where he will serve as chief operating officer.

Risch will assume his new COO duties at H.H. Gregg May 5. He most recently served as EVP of store operations at RadioShack for 16 months, but left the company April 22. Assuming a leadership role at H.H. Gregg might seem like a potential violation of a non-compete agreement, closer inspection shows that H.H. Gregg and RadioShack don’t have that much in common from a product assortment standpoint.

Minneapolis – Tile Shop Holdings Inc. reported net income of $3.7 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2014, a substantial improvement from a net loss of $44.7 million in the same quarter a year earlier. The retailer plans to open 20 new stores during fiscal 2014.

Irvine, Calif. – PriceSpider has expanded availability of its Where-to-Buy (WTB) services. Previously available in the consumer electronics space, the PriceSpider WTB service is now also available and in use in the home appliance, toy, automotive parts, sporting goods and consumer packaged goods markets.

Coppell, Texas – The Container Store increased net income by about 800% year-over-year during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, to $18.34 million from $2.09 million. A substantial drop in effective tax rate, as well as lower net interest expense, helped drive the impressive growth in net income.

Net sales slipped from $217.02 million to $216.82 million, while same-store sales climbed 1.4%. The company cited severe weather as reducing sales.