Business Analytics

New York -- Teen retailer Delia’s announced that its CFO, David Dick, has resigned. He will remain with the company through Aug. 1.

Solid sales growth at Costco during the second quarter and a 6% same store sales increase at U.S. clubs did not translate into strong profits for the warehouse club operator whose earnings fell shy of analysts’ estimates.

Profitect, a leading pattern seeking analytics provider for the retail industry, has added Ahold USA as its latest customer. Profitect is rolled out in Ahold's Giant Landover division.

Ahold USA will leverage Profitect's integrated data to improve its shrink performance by replacing legacy reporting approaches, which require large volumes of information to be interpreted, with automated resolution processes. The Profitect closed loop system creates accountability, the company said, by ensuring employees identify and resolve opportunities impacting the business.

St. Louis -- Brown Shoe Company’s first quarter results exceeded expectations as the retailer swung to a profit. The company said it is raising its annual forecast.

Brown Shoe reported net earnings for the quarter of $15.4 million, compared to a net loss of $10.8 million in the year-ago period.

Net sales for the quarter increased 0.4% to $591.2 million, from $588.7 million for the prior-year quarter.

Hong Kong - Michael Kors Holdings attributed impressive growth in net income, total revenues and same-store sales during fourth quarter 2014 to strong global demand for luxury items. Net income for the three months ended March 29 rose 59% to $161 million, from $101.1 million last year.

Total revenue increased 53.6% to $917.5 million. from $597.2 million. Same-store sales grew 26%. The addition of 101 corporate stores and 150 licensed stores, including concessions, also helped fuel results.

Fort Myers, Fla. – Higher costs reduced profits at Chico’s FAS Inc. during the first quarter of fiscal 2014 even as net sales grew. Chico’s reported net income of $39.88 million, a 22% year-over-year-drop from $51.12 million in the year-ago period.

Ahold CEO Dick Boer cited competitive pressures in New England as a contributing factor in the company’s flat U.S. sales in the first quarter, but it’s not stopping the company from targeting online expansion.  

Ahold's U.S. operations posted first-quarter net sales of $8 billion, down 0.3%. Excluding fuel sales, overall sales were flat relative to the same period last year. Identical sales growth excluding gas was 0.1%, which included the positive impact this year of the post-Easter week falling into the second quarter.

Brown Shoe Company’s first quarter results exceeded expectations according to CEO, president and chair Diane Sullivan, and the company is raising its annual EPS guidance range as a result.

Women’s apparel retailer Chico’s FAS increased its store count by 99 units in the first quarter even as traffic declined and profits tumbled.

Memphis -- AuzoZone’s earnings rose a better-than-expected 7.4% to $285.2 million for the third quarter, up from $265.6 million in the year ago period, helped by demand for new parts.
 
Revenue rose 6.2%  to $2.34 billion. Domestic same store sales rose 4% in the quarter.

During the quarter, AutoZone opened 30 new stores in the United States and seven new locations in Mexico. As of May 10, the company had a total of 5,279 stores, including 4,901 domestically and 374 in Mexico.