Data & Analytics

Seattle - Amazon.com is offering one-hour delivery of products from select local stores in Manhattan through its Prime Now service. In Manhattan, customers can now purchase groceries, prepared meals and baked goods from D’Agostino, Gourmet Garage and Billy’s Bakery through the Prime Now app.

San Francisco – Williams-Sonoma Inc. exceeded Wall Street expectations with earnings and sales in the fiscal 2015 first quarter. From the same period the previous year, net income declined 3% to $44.79 million from $46.16 million.

Increases in cost of goods sold and selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses helped reduce net income. Net revenues rose 6% to $1.03 billion from $973.33 million. The West Elm banner had particularly strong sales growth.

Nashville, Tenn. – Kirkland’s Inc. topped Wall Street predictions for earnings and sales in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. Net income increased 23% to $2.53 million, from $2.05 million a year earlier.

Growth in cost of sales and operating expenses lagged the rate of revenue growth, boosting net income. Net sales rose 9% to $118.31 million, from $108.25 million. Same store sales, including e-commerce sales, grew 3%.

Jacksonville, Fla. – Earnings dipped at Stein Mart Inc. during the first quarter of fiscal 2015, even as net sales improved. Net income fell 3% to $13.6 million from $14.1 million a year earlier, with higher loan interest expense a major contributor.

Net sales increased 7% to $353.5 million, from $328.9 million. Same-store sales rose 4.8%. Higher store traffic and e-commerce sales boosted same-store sales results.

York, Pa. – Net loss at The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. widened to $34.1 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2015, from $31.5 million in the same quarter the prior year. Increased cost of sales and depreciation and amortization helped increase net loss.

Total sales inched up to $610.9 million from $607.5 million, while same-store sales increased 0.8%. E-commerce sales increased at a double-digit rate due to a higher conversion rate.

Chesapeake, Va. – Dollar Tree Inc. plans to sell about 330 Family Dollar stores to obtain Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approval of its pending $8.5 billion acquisition of Family Dollar Stores.  

The company has not identified the buyer, the sale amount or which stores will be closed. The 330 Family Dollar stores represent about $45.5 million in operating income, according to Dollar Tree. Dollar Tree expects the Family Dollar purchase to go through in July 2015.

West Elm helped Williams-Sonoma deliver another solid financial performance in the first quarter despite negative effects from the West Coast port dispute and sluggish consumer spending.

Total revenue for Williams-Sonoma Inc. in the first quarter ended May 3 grew 5.8% year over year, to $1.03 billion, versus $974 million in the first quarter of 2014. Same store sales from its flagship Williams-Sonoma brand grew 2.7%, Pottery Barn sales increased 2.4%, West Elm delivered a 15.3% increase in comps, Pottery Barn Kids grew 0.8%, and sales from PBteen increased 3% year over year.

Improved merchandising and e-commerce initiatives helped Shoe Carnival post first quarter gains in profits, earnings and sales.

The company reported that net sales increased $17 million to a first quarter record of $252.8 million, as compared to net sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2014. Same store sales increased 3%. Earnings per diluted share for the first quarter increased 15.6% to 52 cents.

Demand for iPhone 6, big TVs and appliances surged at Best Buy in the first quarter, enabling the company to report a much-better-than expected same store sales increase.