Business Analytics

Sometimes the shortest pieces of advice are the best. Here are a few nuggets of wisdom pulled from Chain Store Age’s conversations with five leading real estate advisers and technology experts.

Naperville, Ill. -- OfficeMax on Tuesday reported a lower-than-expected profit, for its first profit, hurt by declining technology sales. Prior to its earnings release, the company also announced a special dividend of $1.50 per share.

OfficeMax's first-quarter profit available to shareholders rose to $56.3 million, from $4.9 million a year earlier. Sales fell 5.65% to $1.77 billion, while analysts expected $1.83 billion.

Same stores sales increase 6.9% and earnings per share increased 19% to 76 cents, three cents better than analysts forecast. The company’s performance was favorable across the board, according to co-founder, and co-CEO John Mackey.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The sun shined favorably this month on PriceSmart, which operates 31 warehouse clubs in 12 countries and one U.S. territory.

For the month of April 2013 net sales increased 11% to $176 million from $159 million in April a year earlier. For the eight months ended April 30, net sales increased 11% to $1,484 million from $1,337 million for the eight months ended April a year earlier. There were 30 warehouse clubs in operation at the end of April 2013 and 29 warehouse clubs in operation at the end of April 2012.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens reported April 2013 sales of $5.98 billion, up almost 4% from $5.76 billion in the same month a year earlier.
   
Despite declines in front-end sales, comparable front-end sales and customer traffic, slightly larger basket sizes and an almost 10% increase in comparable prescription fills helped boost overall sales.

Same-store sales increased 1.2% from April 2012.

New York -- Sally Beauty Holdings Inc.’s second-quarter earnings decreased 4.3% amid sluggish sales. The company earned $64.9 million in the quarter ended March 31, compared with $67.8 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue rose 1% to $898.2 million from $889.3 million in the year-ago period.

Same-store sales were down 0.8%.

Gary Winterhalter, chairman, president and CEO says that the quarter's performance reflected in part lower traffic fueled by two fewer days compared with the prior year quarter.

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Rite Aid reported a 4% drop in same store sales for the four weeks ending April 27, 2013 compared to the same period a year earlier. The drugstore chain blamed part of the drop on the negative impact of an early Easter this year on front-end sales.

Same store sales also declined 3% for the eight-week period ending April 27, 2013 compared to the same eight weeks in 2012.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid's same-store sales decreased 4% in April compared with April 2012 due to an earlier Easter and introductions of new generic drugs, the retail pharmacy chain said.

The numbers released Thursday included a 3.5% decrease in sales on the front end and a 4% decrease in pharmacy sales, but the pharmacy figure included a 4.5% negative effect due to new generics. Same-store prescription count decreased by 0.2%.

Total sales for the month were $1.9 billion, a 4.6% decrease over April 2012's $2 billion.

Kellogg’s North American first quarter results were solid, but its performance overseas, particularly in the U.K., helped bolster its results. The company reported net sales of $4 billion, an increase of 12%. Meanwhile, internal net sales, which exclude the effects of foreign currency translation, acquisitions, dispositions and integration costs, rose by 2.2 percent over the same period. 

New York -- The Jones Group Inc. returned to a profit in the first quarter, but sales were hampered by unseasonably cool weather. The company said net income for the three months ended April 6, after paying preferred dividends, totaled $500,000. That compares with a loss of $1.2 million in the year-ago period.

Revenues for the first quarter of 2013 were almost $1.1 billion, up from $936 million for the same period last year. Jones Group CEO Wesley R. Card said that weather and other factors impacted the business both domestically and internationally.