Supply Chain & Merchandising

LOS ANGELES — Global lifestyle brand Guess? has appointed Michael Relich as the company’s chief operating officer. As part of the brand’s executive leadership team, Relich will report to co-founder and CEO Paul Marciano.

Relich spent nine years as the brand’s chief information officer. Relich has had increasing global responsibilities, leading a number of areas, including IT, distribution/logistics, e-commerce and strategic planning.  

Mooresville, N.C. -- Lowe’s second-quarter net income rose 26%, boosted by strong demand for its product.

For the period ended Aug. 2, Lowe’s earned $941 million, up from $747 million a year ago.

“Home improvement demand was strong during the quarter,” said Lowe’s CEO Robert Niblock. “We drove a healthy balance of ticket and transaction growth, and delivered solid performance across all product categories.”

PHOENIX — PetSmart’s total sales for the quarter ended Aug. were $1.7 billion, up 5.3% from $1.6 billion for the prior-year period, showing that people are still spending money on their pets despite lingering economic challenges and cautious shopping behavior trends evident in other sectors. 

Comparable-store sales, or sales in stores open at least a year, grew 3.4%, benefitting from comparable transactions growth of 1%. Services sales, which are included in total sales, grew 7.3% to $205 million.

A 3% same store sales decline at Staples North American retail units contributed to weaker than expected second quarter results and prompted the company to reduce its full year financial forecast.

Total company sales for the quarter ended August 3, declined 2% to $5.3 billion with the closure of 103 stores in North America and Europe responsible for about half the decline. Profits for the period declined to $104 million, or 16 cents a share, two cents worse than analysts forecast, compared to $125 million, or 19 cents a share the prior year.

PITTSBURGH — Dick's Sporting Goods reported a 57% increase in second-quarter net income, which was chiefly related to a big charge last year.

For the period ended Aug. 3, the retailer earned $84.2 million, up from $53.7 million in the prior-year period when it recorded a $32.4 million impairment charge tied to an investment in JJB Sports. Revenue rose 6% to $1.53 billion, short of analyst projections of $1.57 billion. Same-store sales edged down 0.4%.

Chairman and CEO Edward Stack said bad weather reduced traffic and hurt sales.

Barnes & Noble’s founder, chairman and largest shareholder, Leonard Riggio, is calling off his offer to buy the company’s retail business, following a worse-than-expected net loss of $87 million for the first quarter, compared to a loss of $39.8 million in the year-ago period. 

Worse than expected second quarter sales results at Dick’s Sporting Goods sparked new consumer spending concerns and prompted the company to lower its full year profit forecast.

Dicks said sales for the quarter ended August 3, increased 6.6% to $1.5 billion, however same store sales fell 0.4%, versus a planned 2% to 3% increase, when adjusted for a 53rd week in 2012. Profits for the period totaled $84.2 million, or 67 cents a share, compared to $53.7 million, or 43 cents a share.

With the addition of an Android app, mobile workforce leader Gigwalk expects its on-demand workforce to soon exceed 600,000.

The two-year-old San Francisco-based technology company already has 325,000 workers, known as Gigwalkers, using its app on iPhones to perform a variety of mobile research and store audit functions. The addition of an app for Android phones is expected to more than double the number of Gigwalkers because Android phones are more prevalent in the market.