News

The turnaround at Citi Trends seems nearly complete and now the urban fashion retailer is making some major executive moves just as it reported impressive fourth quarter results.

The retailer announced that Ed Anderson is retiring as CEO, effective March 21. Jason Mazzola, currently EVP and CMO, will become president and CEO effective March 22 and has been also appointed to the Board of Directors.

Additionally, Bruce Smith, the Company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will also become its Chief Operating Officer.

Westlake, Ohio – Rising fuel gross margins and a non-recurring litigation settlement helped Travel Centers of America Inc. (TA) roughly triple its net income to $34.34 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, from $11.97 million in the fourth quarter of the previous fiscal year. Revenues dipped 9% to $1.72 billion, from $1.9 billion.

Aeropostale Inc. says it is considering closing as many as 75 additional stores despite reporting a smaller profit loss in the fourth quarter.

The company’s net loss narrowed to $13.5 million in the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31, down from $70.3 million a year earlier. Net sales fell 11.3% to $593.8 million. Comparable sales declined 9%. Aeropostale closed more than 180 stores over the three months that ended Jan. 31. It currently has about 850 stores in North America and another 239 licensed Aeropostale stores worldwide.

Paris - Nature & Découvertes, a French-based European retailer with 83 stores across France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany and Switzerland, has partnered with Ipanema Technologies as part of an enterprise-wide, 24-month digital transformation. With Ipanema’s help, the retailer successfully reduced application response time by 50%, and reduced network costs and OPEX costs by 50% and 10%, respectively.
 

David Tehle, executive vice president and CFO at Dollar General, will retire from the company effective July 1. The retailer has started a search for a successor and will consider both internal and external candidates for the job.

The news comes as Dollar General prepares the retail industry’s most aggressive new store expansion plan.

New York -- Ann Inc. on Friday posted a 94% drop in profit for the fourth quarter as incremental air freight costs in response to the West Coast ports dispute and lower margins resulting from increased promotional activity cut into sales. Its results, however, topped the Street forecasts. The company also announced efforts to deliver an additional $35 million in cost savings by 2016 through a new selling, general and administrative optimization program.
 

Genesco Inc. cited construction expenses and currency pressures as reasons for the company’s weaker-than-expected fourth quarter earnings. 

The company posted earnings from continuing operations of $51.8 million, or $2.18 per diluted share, for the quarter ended Jan. 31. The numbers are an improvement from the year-ago period, which saw earnings from continuing operations of $42.2 million or $1.79 per diluted share. 

Jacksonville, Fla. – Stein Mart Inc. had a generally successful fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 and plans to open 11 new stores, close two stores and relocate one store during fiscal 2015. The off-price retailer reported net income of $12.3 million, up 66% from $7.4 million the same quarter a year earlier and driven by higher gross profit and lower selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses.

Net sales rose 7% to $387 million, from $360.79 million. Same-store sales increased 5.6%.