News

Dennis Hernreich, EVP, COO and CFO of Destination XL Group, has resigned and board member John E. Kyees has been named interim CFO. In addition, the company has elected Will Mesdag, 60, to its board of directors.

Kyees, who has served on the Destination XL board of directors since 2010, was CFO of Urban Outfitters from 2003 until his retirement in 2010, and has served as a senior financial executive at several other prominent retailers. The company is conducting a search for a permanent CFO.

Whirlpool reported record earnings in 2013 for the full-year and three months ended Dec. 31, with net earnings more than doubling over 2012.

The company reported net earnings of $827 million compared with last year’s $401 million. Additionally, fourth-quarter earnings of $181 million were 48.4% above year-ago figures.

Overall, net sales for the appliance manufacturer were $18.8 billion for the year — a 3.5% improvement — and $5.09 billion for the quarter, up 6.2% year-over-year.

In a study of the returns and refunds performance of the 25 largest online retailers, StellaService found that the majority of retailers evaluated aren’t meeting consumer expectations.

StellaService analysts ordered the same product from each retailer to be delivered to the three separate regions of East, West and Midwest. They then returned the product, tracking metrics such as the presence of a prepaid, adhesive return label, total time to receive a return authorization and refund speed. The average refund speed of was 10.7 days.

The J. M. Smucker Company has named Kevin Jackson as VP and GM of foodservice effective May 1. Jackson succeeds Ken Miller, who is retiring on June 15, after 34 years with the company.

Jackson has been with the company for 12 years in marketing leadership positions within the U.S. retail business, most recently in the role of VP of marketing for the coffee business, which includes the Folgers, Dunkin Donuts, Millstone, Cafe Bustelo, Cafe Pilon, and Life is good brands.

Salt Lake City – Overstock.com reported substantial increases in net income during the full year and fourth quarter 2013. During the full fiscal year, net income jumped 503% to $88.5 million from $14.7 million the prior fiscal year.

During the fourth quarter, net income rose an ever larger 737% to $73.6 million from $8.8 million. Revenue increased 19% during the full fiscal year to $1.3 billion from $1.09 billion, and grew 16% to $397.6 million from $342 million during the fourth quarter.

Indianapolis – Hhgregg reported net income of $5 million during the third quarter of fiscal 2014, a 71% drop from $17.4 million in the same period the previous fiscal year. Net sales declined about 12%, from $799.6 million to $707 million.

Same-store sales decreased about 11%. Hhgregg cited the drop in same-store sales and shrinking gross margins for its steep decline in net income. Dennis May, president and CEO of Hhgregg, blamed poor electronics/computing sales and heavy promotions for the retailer’s overall disappointing performance.

Philadelphia – Destination Maternity reported improved net income but lower net sales during the first quarter of fiscal 2014 as compared to the same period a year earlier. Net income totaled $4.25 million, up 11% from $3.84 million the same period a year earlier.

Camp Hill, Pa. - For the four-week period ended Jan. 25, Rite Aid’s same-store sales grew 1.8%. Front-end same-store sales decreased 1.3%, attributable to a decrease in flu-related over-the-counter drug sales.

Total drug sales for the month increased 1.5% to $1.94 billion, compared to $1.91 billion in the same period a year earlier.

Brentwood, Tenn. – Tractor Supply Company reported increased net income and sales for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2013, compared to the same periods a year earlier. Net income grew 18.7% to $328.2 million from $276.5 million for the full fiscal year, and 21% to $95.9 million from $79.5 million for the fourth quarter.

Cary, N.C. – The Pantry, Inc. reported a net loss of $5.1 million in its first quarter of fiscal 2014, up from a net loss of $3.1 million the first quarter of the prior fiscal year. Revenues fell 5% to $1.8 billion from $1.9 billion, although same-store sales rose 3.5%.