Data & Analytics

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holding Corp. reported a bigger-than-expected net loss of $279 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2013, compared to net income of $189 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2012. The retailer also said that it is considering selling its protection-agreement business in an ongoing effort to raise cash as it struggles to improve its profits.

New Albany, Ohio -- Abercrombie & Fitch shrunk its net loss during the first quarter of 2013 but still reported thin financial results. Net loss for the quarter was $7.2 million, compared to $21.3 million during the first quarter of 2012. The results missed analysts’ estimates.

Net sales dropped 9% from $921.2 million to $838.8 million. Same-store sales plummeted 17%. Direct-to-consumer sales fell 6%. U.S. same-store sales fell 14%; international comparable sales were down 16%.

FAIRFIELD, CALIF. — Jelly Belly Candy Company plans to implement front-of-package nutrition labeling on its most popular packaged products. The company will begin to roll out labeled packages on shelves this fall. 

The new front label will highlight information such as calories and fat content. By providing the information up front, Jelly Belly joins the National Confectioners Association and other manufacturers in support of adopting a method that helps consumers easily access information necessary to make decisions about their diets.

Birmingham, Ala. – Hibbett sports reported a slight dip in net income during first quarter fiscal 2013, although same-store sales and net sales showed some improvement. Net income for the quarter totaled $26.2 million, down slightly from $26.4 million a year earlier. Same-store sales slightly rose 0.8%, while net sales increased 3% from $232.9 million to $240 million. Net income fell short of Wall Street estimates.

As of this writing, the first of hundreds of new gTLDs — the suffixes to the right of the dot in domain names — have begun to be approved for release on the Internet. In an international move that hasn’t been widely publicized in the U.S., ICANN has been sifting through some 2,000 applications for new domain name suffixes, alternatives to the dozen or so we’ve all become familiar with, such as .com, .net and .gov.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Cold weather affected Hibbett Sports' first quarter results for the period ended May 4, but the sporting goods retailer still saw net sales of $240 million, a 3% increase from $233 million for the 13-week period ended April 28, 2012.

Comparable store sales increased 0.8% for the quarter.

For the quarter, Hibbett opened nine new stores, expanded five high performing stores and closed three underperforming stores, bringing the store base to 879 in 29 states.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kroger's mid-south division president John Hackett is retiring, after 50 years of service with the company. Hackett began his career with Kroger in 1963 as a store clerk in London, Ohio, while working his way through college at The Ohio State University.

WTI expects that retail June 2013 will be similar in temperature to last year for the U.S. as a whole. Warmer temperature trends on the East and West Coasts will offset cooler year-over-year trends in the nation’s mid-section. Warmer year-over-year trends will be prominent during the first half of the retail month, with colder year-over-year trends during the latter part of the month. The weather will be unsettled weather in the Plains with cooler days and increased risks for rain and severe weather compared to last year.