Supply Chain & Merchandising

New York -- Retail executives are invited to attend the Microsoft Retail Roadshow, which will be held in Cambridge, Mass., on Thursday, March 29. The half-day event, which kicks off with breakfast at 8 a.m. and includes lunch, will explore ways that retailers can increase operational efficiency, lower costs and innovate to drive customer engagement.

The Retail Roadshow will be held at Microsoft Research New England, R&D Center, One Memorial Drive, First Floor, Cambridge, Mass.

New York – The fast-growing Francesca’s Holdings Corp. plans to open 76 stores in 2012.

The Houston-based women’s apparel and accessories retailer, which targets young women, has opened 21 new stores so far in 2012, with plans to open 55 additional locations by year-end.

Currently, Francesca’s operates 304 locations nationwide.

New York --  Lululemon Athletica Inc.’s income rose 34.2% to $73.5 million for the three months ended Jan. 29, from $54.8 million in the year ago period.

Revenue in the fourth quarter was up 51.4% to $371.5 million, from $245.4 million. Same-store sales increased 26%.

For the year, sales rose 40.6% to $1 billion. Profits were up 51.1% to $184.1 million.
 

OAKLAND, Calif. — Increased cutomer traffic and average ticket, helped drive comps at Cost Plus up 7.6% for the fourth quarter of 2011 on top of a 7.7% increase from the fourth quarter of last year. The company reported that net sales for the quarter were $364.3 million, a 6.7% increase compared with $341.6 million for the fourth quarter of last year. 

Pittsburgh -- Lucas Systems, a provider of voice directed warehouse applications, announced that The Container Store has installed Jennifer VoicePlus for voice picking in the retailer’s Dallas- area, 1.1 million-sq.-ft. distribution center.

New York -- Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th announced that it plans to reopen its Nashville, Tenn., store on March 29.

Located next to the Grand Ole Opry House, the approximate 27,500-sq.-ft. store will be located in the Opry Mills Shopping Center. Operated by Simon Malls, upon completion, the center will be the largest shopping outlet in Tennessee, with over 200 stores, multiple restaurants and an in-house movie theater.

The reopening marks Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th’s return to Opry Mills after it was closed by floods in May 2010.

Surging gas prices this spring could jeopardize Walmart’s tenuous same-store sales recovery as consumers have less disposable income and opt to shop at outlets closer to home. At least that was how the situation played out in the recent past when gas prices surged above $4. Are things different now?

When North Plainfield, N.J.-based Levin Management took over as leasing and managing agent for Fairlane Village Mall – located in Pottsville, Pa. – in 2006, the impending economic downturn, a likely 80,000-sq.-ft. vacancy and growing industry consensus that the days of the small-market malls were numbered created a perfect storm of challenges.

Six years later, the 405,000-sq.-ft. property serves as a repositioning benchmark. Its success story is underscored by the March 2012 opening of Kohl’s and the impending arrival of Michaels later this year.