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Members shopped Sam’s Club more often and spent more on each trip during the fourth quarter, propelling Sam’s to a 2.7% same-store sales increase, while operating profits were flat. The forecast for the first quarter calls for same-store sales to increase between 1% and 3%.

During Walmart’s fourth-quarter conference call, Walmart U.S. president and CEO Bill Simon said the company will pursue a four-point plan to improve its performance in existing stores. The first order of business -- and something Simon has talked about since he was appointed to his current position last summer -- is a renewed emphasis on everyday low prices, or EDLP.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Limited Brands reported Thursday that its jumped 27% to $452.3 million in the fourth quarter, compared with $356.1 million in the year-ago period, on strong sales and healthy margins.

The parent to Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works previously announced that revenues for the quarter ended Jan. 29 rose 13% to $3.46 billion, beating Wall Street's estimate. Same-store sales increased 10%.

For the full year, net sales were $9.613 billion compared with net sales of $8.632 billion last year. Same-store sales rose 9%.

Fourth quarter earnings per share at Target advanced 17% to $1.45 compared with $1.24 the prior year, thanks to a seven-cent-a-share tax benefit, and quarterly profits were slightly more than $1 billion compared with $936 million the prior year. Fourth-quarter sales increased 2.8% to $20.3 billion compared with $19.7 billion the prior year and were aided by a 2.4% increase in same-store sales.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp. reported on Wednesday that it has ended a three-year search for a permanent CEO, appointing a former technology executive with no retail experience as its new chief executive and president. The company name Lou D’Ambrosio to the position of president and CEO.

Dallas -- Zale Corp. said Thursday that net income for the quarter ended Jan. 31 surged to $27.2 million, compared with $6.7 million a year earlier.

Zale, which has struggled to regain profitability as the economy improves, posted net income of $27.2 million compared with $6.7 million, or 21 cents per share a year ago. Sales rose to $626.4 million for the quarter, from $582.3 million. Same-store sale rose 7.9%, compared with a decrease of 11.2% during the comparable period in the prior year.

Analysts don’t like surprises, especially the negative kind, where results are worse than forecast, so there wasn’t a lot of love for Walmart earlier this week after the company reported a disappointing 1.8% fourth quarter comp decline. Never mind that earnings per share exceeded consensus estimate by three cents, analysts were clearly peeved by the top line shortfall at the stores division, and having been burned by the company’s earlier guidance expressed little confidence in the company’s ability to deliver on its strategic objectives.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. reported Thursday that net income for the quarter ended Jan. 29 rose 11% to $1.04 billion, helped by improved revenues and fewer write-offs of bad credit-card debt.

Retail sales increased 2.8% in the fourth quarter to $20.3 billion, from $19.7 billion in the year ago period. Same-store sales rose 2.4%. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had forecast $20.76 billion in revenue.