Omnichannel

Cincinnati -- Macy’s net income in the three months ended Jan. 28 rose a better-than-expected 12% to $745 million as the chain, buoyed by strong holiday and online sales. The company has now seen net income rise in three straight quarters.

New York City -- Saks Inc. fourth-quarter net income climbed 48% amid strong sales of handbags, fine jewelry and men's and women's apparel. The earnings topped expectations.

For the period ended Jan. 28, Saks earned $37 million, compared with $25 million last year. Quarterly revenue rose 7% to $925.1 million from $866.3 million, beating Wall Street's $918.9 million estimate.

Same-store sales were up 7.7%.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart’s U.S. stores division regained customer traffic during the fourth quarter to post a 1.5% same-store sales increase and continues gather momentum as familiar strategies and effective marketing are resonating with customers, the company said Tuesday morning in conjunction with the release of quarterly results.

Is it any wonder that online giants Google and Amazon are both reportedly planning to test the waters with physical stores? Certainly not when you look at some of the retail stats from Apple’s amazing first quarter (ended Dec. 31, 2011). The company had record revenues of $46.3 billion, and its stores continue to astound.

Consider:

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores' investment in China continues to grow as the company now has a controlling stake in one of the country's fast-growing e-commerce websites. The company announced that it has reached an agreement to increase its investment in the holding company of Yihaodian, bringing its total ownership stake to approximately 51%. Yihaodian is a leader in online grocery sales, as well as in such categories as consumer electronics and apparel.

Closing of the transaction is subject to Chinese government regulatory approval.

NEW YORK — Saks Inc. fourth-quarter net income climbed 48% amid strong sales of handbags, fine jewelry and men's and women's apparel. The earnings topped expectations.

For the period ended Jan. 28, Saks earned $37 million, compared with $25 million last year. Quarterly revenue rose 7% to $925.1 million from $866.3 million, beating Wall Street's $918.9 million estimate.

Same-store sales were up 7.7%.

Saks Direct has an increase of about 21%. Saks said revenue at Off 5th stores open at least a year was weaker than expected.

Lexington, Mass. -- The Collective Brands Performance + Lifestyle Group (PLG), which owns such brands as Sperry Top-Sider, Saucony, Keds and Stride Rite, announced today that is has signed new agreements with partners in 10 countries to continue the rapid international expansion of several of its brands in Mexico, Indonesia, Japan, five South American countries and the Czech Republic.

Seattle -- The marriage of brick-and-mortar with mobile e-commerce and the likelihood of more big-box stores moving into urban areas are among the nine trends to watch this year, according to commercial real estate services firm Colliers International.

The trends are detailed in Collier’s annual U.S. Retail Highlights: 2012 Outlook, an in-depth report that chronicles current retail conditions along with the trends that will shape the 2012 retail landscape.