Supply Chain & Merchandising

Although Starbucks’ profit in the first quarter rose a better-than-expected 25% to $540.7 million from $432 million in the year-ago period, same-store sales missed Wall Street expectations.

Same-store sales rose 5%, beneath Wall Street expectations of 5.9%. Revenue for the quarter ended Dec. 29, 2013 rose 12% to $4.24 billion from $3.79 billion.

Same-store sales in the Americas region also rose 5%, while analysts had expected a 6.4% increase.

Columbia, S.C. — EDENS has announced that four new local retailers and restaurants will open at Park Road Shopping Center in Charlotte, N.C., in the coming months.

The newly announced additions include:

• Cantina 1511, a Mexican eatery, plans to open toward the end of this summer.

• Va Da Vie is a local gelato store scheduled to open in February.

• LALA Girl, a locally owned beauty service makeup bar, plans to open this spring.

Levi Strauss & Co. has named Craig Nomura as EVP and president of global retail, effective Feb. 3. He will report to president and CEO Chip Bergh.

New York -- Levi Strauss & Co. has named Craig Nomura as president of global retail, effective Feb. 3, 2014. He joins Levi’s from Williams-Sonoma Inc., where he was most recently senior VP of global development.

Nomura, who also held leadership positions at Gap Inc., The Gymboree Corp., Guess?, Inc., and Foot Locker, succeeds Joelle Maher, who left Levi’s in June 2013 to join Gymboree as COO.

New York -- Kmart will shutter two locations in the Philadelphia area this spring, Philadelphia Business Journal said. The locations, at The Gallery and at 900 Orthodox St., will close in late April.

February 2014 is projected to be the coldest in four years and drier than last year for the U.S. as a whole. Much colder year-on-year trends will be widespread at the start of the month, especially across the Central U.S. The axis of colder temperatures shifts to the Northern Tier of the U.S. by the second week of the month. Much colder trends early in the month will help to clear remaining winter merchandise. A taste of spring arrives in the Deep South in retail week three, making this a favorable time for categories such as sun care, apparel and cold beverages.

Oak Brook, Ill. – McDonald’s Corporation reported small increases in consolidated net income and revenues for both the fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2013, compared to the same periods a year earlier. During the fourth quarter, McDonald’s net income rose fractionally to $1.397 billion from $1.396 billion and revenues grew 2% to $7.09 billion from $6.95 billion.

Plano, Texas – J.C. Penney Co. released its 2013 Sustainability Report, outlining sustainability initiatives pursued during fiscal year 2012 ended Feb. 2013. Highlights of the report included:

• Stores and Operations: Through the company’s energy conservation efforts, J.C. Penney has received Energy Star certification in more than 500 locations and earned the Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award for five consecutive years.