Distribution

Armonk, N.Y. -- IBM on Wednesday announced that the Bon-Ton Stores website and its seven leading brands have experienced a double-digit increase in their online sales using IBM software to advance their online and mobile commerce features.

Tucson, Ariz. -- Commercial Retail Advisors said Tuesday that water purification retailer Water Mart has signed a lease for a new store in Orange Grove Village, in Tucson, Ariz.

The retailer is relocating from its current site in the local Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market Center to the new 1,200-sq.-ft. space.

The new store is slated to open in mid-December.

Santa Barbara, Calif. - SuperValu Inc., which owns Albertson’s, said Tuesday that two Albertson’s locations in Santa Barbara, Calif., have achieved zero waste classification in their daily operations.

New York - Wal-Mart Stores sees more opportunity in emerging markets than in Europe, the company’s International Chief Executive Officer, Doug McMcMillion, told Bloomberg.

“China is top of the list, and Brazil is not far behind” to make deals, McMillon said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “InBusiness With Margaret Brennan.” The retailer is being “patient” about finding the right way to expand in Russia, McMillon said.

Bentonville, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores announced Monday that it is buying a controlling stake in South Africa's Massmart in an approximately $2 billion deal. The investment gives the discounter a substantial presence in South Africa and paves the way for further expansion across the continent.  Wal-Mart International president and CEO Doug McMillon made clear his company is pursuing a regional strategy.

Birmingham, Ala. -- Hibbett Sports said Friday its third-quarter profit jumped 43% as it posted another quarter of double-digit growth in same-store sales revenue. It also boosted its forecast for the year.

The company reported net income of $12.6 million in the three months that ended Oct. 30, up from $8.8 million a year ago.

Revenue rose nearly 15% to $167.4 million, from $145.9 million a year ago. Same-store sales rose 12.5%.

San Francisco -- Gap said its third-quarter net income fell 1% to  $303 million for the period that ended Oct. 30. That compares with $307 million a year earlier.

Revenue rose 2% to $3.65 billion, boosted by increases in online and international sales. Same-store sales were flat.

Philadelphia -- Destination Maternity said its fourth-quarter net income tripled as cost-cutting measures paid off, even as sales in some categories fell.

The company earned almost $4.3 million for the quarter that ended Sept. 30, up from $1.4 million during the same period last year. Revenue rose slightly to $124.3 million, from $123.8 million a year earlier. Same-store sales fell 2.3%.