Business Analytics

Lakeland, Fla. -- Publix Super Market Inc.’s net earnings in the fourth quarter rose 7.4% to $422 million, compared to $392.8 million in the year-ago period.

Sales in the quarter, ended Dec. 28, 2013, rose 5.3% to $7.4 billion, from $7 billion last year.

“I’m pleased our operating performance resulted in another increase in our stock price,” said Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw. “Our associates— the owners of Publix — deserve the credit for this achievement.”

Hold department managers accountable for safety to promote better loss control

From mat management to the use of proper cleaning products, prevention is, of course, key to slip and fall management in retail stores. But there are two additional key areas that should be addressed — management communication and accountability. Indeed, sharing information and holding department managers accountable for results can reap numerous benefits for a company.

Springfield, N.J. – Village Super Market Inc. reported a 69% decrease in net income during the second quarter of fiscal 2014, compared to the same period in the prior year. Net income fell to $2.8 million from $9.1 million.

Boston -- Online retailer Wayfair has added 170,000 sq. ft. to its lease with Simon Property Group at The Offices at Copley Place in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. In anticipation of a June 2014 relocation, the additional space brings Wayfair's new office space to a total footprint of 275,000 sq. ft.

Cape Town, South Africa -- South African retailer Woolworths has implemented MetricStream's Sustainability Performance Management Solution to capture and measure sustainability metrics and indicators around energy, water, soil, and waste management. The solution will also help Woolworths monitor supplier compliance with sustainability guidelines, and optimize the performance of the company's sustainability projects and initiatives.

Atlanta – Accellos is releasing AccellosOne Warehouse Management System (WMS) version 6.5, which is built on Accellos’ unifying technology platform, the AccellosOne Platform version 3.0. This cloud-ready WMS features an all-new configuration mechanism that leverages Microsoft’s Workflow Foundation, enabling partners and customers to analyze and modify business processes without writing code or using proprietary scripting languages.

A 19% fourth-quarter same-store sales decline and a steep decline in profitability prompted RadioShack to announce the closure of 1,100 stores while CEO Joseph Magnacca maintained the retailer’s brand equity remains strong and a profitability plan is in place.

Village Super Market, which operates a chain of 29 supermarkets under the ShopRite name in New Jersey, Maryland and eastern Pennsylvania, saw net income fall 69% during the second quarter, compared to the same period in the prior year, driven in part by flat same-store sales.

Suffern, N.Y. -- Ascena Retail Group, the operator of Lane Bryant, Justice and Dress Barn stores, reported second-quarter profit of $31.9 million, down from $47.2 million in the year-ago period. Looking ahead, the company reduced its full-year adjusted earnings guidance to a range of $1.00 to $1.05 per share from its previous guidance range of $1.10 to $1.15 per share.

Sales increased to $1.27 billion from $1.24 billion last year. Same-store sales were flat.

Publix’s sales for the fourth quarter of 2013 boosted the company’s stock price from $30 per share to $30.15 per share.

The company reported sales of $7.4 billion, a 5.3% increase from last year’s $7 billion. Comparable-store sales for the fourth quarter of 2013 increased 4.3%.

Net earnings for the fourth quarter of 2013 were $422 million, compared to $392.8 million in 2012, an increase of 7.4%. Earnings per share for the fourth quarter increased to $0.54 for 2013, up from $0.50 per share in 2012.