Supply Chain & Merchandising

Toys“R”Us chairman and CEO Jerry Storch and Nordstrom Direct president Jamie Nordstrom are among the featured speakers at the Shop.org annual summit.

The annual event organized by Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation, will be held September 10 to 12 and the Colorado Convention Center and is billed as the premier gathering for retail e-commerce, digital and multichannel retailers.

New York -- Real estate advisory firm RCS Real Estate Advisors said Wednesday that it has been retained by teen retailer Delia’s to evaluate the performance of its real estate portfolio and serve as the outsourced real estate department for all retail locations. 

Greensboro, N.C. -- Fresh Market reported Wednesday that profit for the first quarter climbed 43% to $19.3 million, from $13.5 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue rose 23% to $324.8 million, compared with $264.5 million in the previous year and surpassing Wall Street’s expected $310.6 million in revenue.  Same-store sales increased 8.2%. The strong performance across the board prompted the grocer to bump its outlook for the year.

Hampstead, Md. -- Jos. A. Bank Clothiers reported Wednesday that net income for the quarter ended April 28 shrank to $14.8 million, from $17.8 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue rose 4.2% to $201.4 million, from $193.3 million. Same-store sales dipped 1%.
 

New York -- Modell’s Sporting Goods, which operates 150+ brick-and-mortar stores as well as Modells.com, said Wednesday it has selected San Luis Obispo, Calif.-based e-commerce provider Shopatron as its order management solution to deliver officially licensed sports gear to fans just in time for the playoffs.

Modell's said it will continue to add more product categories to the site throughout the year, including athletic footwear, active apparel and other sporting goods, to bring its complete in-store selection online.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — May sales at Fred's Inc. increased 6% to $152.1 million from $143.6 million in May 2011. Comparable-store sales for the month rose 1.3% compared with an increase of 0.2% in the same period last year.

Fred's total sales for the first four months of fiscal 2012 increased 4% to $652.6 million compared with $628 million for the same period last year. On a comparable-store basis, year-to-date sales increased 0.1% on top of an increase of 0.8% in the same period last year.

Leawood, Kan. -- Columbus, Ohio-based Glimcher Realty Trust said Wednesday it has completed the acquisition of One Nineteen, an outdoor retail center located in Leawood, Kan.

One Nineteen is adjacent to Glimcher’s Town Center Plaza and will add approximately 165,000 sq. ft. of GLA to the combined property.  Tenant sales at One Nineteen average more than $900 per sq. ft., and the center is currently 93% leased featuring Kansas City’s first and only Crate & Barrel and lululemon athletica, as well as an Apple store.

New York -- Ashley Furniture Industries Inc. plans to open about 50 bedding stores, under the Zzz's By Ashley banner, in 2012, according to Furniture Today. The sleep shops will average about 4,500 sq. ft. each, and will offer a wide selection of mattresses and sleep accessories.

“I think we can open several thousand in the next 10 years,” Ben Thorud, the Ashley executive who is heading the new initiative, told Furniture Today.