News

Abercrombie & Fitch's efforts to attract more shoppers with a better store experience and updated merchandise mix are paying off as the retailer reported an unexpected increase in same-store sales and a 30% increase in profit for the fourth quarter.

Abercrombie said overall same-store sales rose 1% in the quarter ended Jan. 30, the first gain in the metric since the third quarter 2012. Analysts on average were expecting a decline of 0.10%. The gain in same-store sales was driven by a 4% increase in the Hollister division.

Charleston, S.C. -- Faison Enterprises announced it broke ground on its new mixed-use development, located in Daniel Island’s Town Center, Charleston, South Carolina. The project will include 317 luxury apartment units along with nearly 30,000 sq. ft. of restaurant and retail space.

Nebraska Furniture Mart needs everything under control to compete with larger chains, and is ensuring some of its most basic functions are running as smoothly as possible.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based retailer, which is a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary with four branded stores and one clearance store, has selected the WorkForce Software EmpCenter solution to manage labor at its retail, warehouse, and corporate home office locations.

Publix Super Markets hit a milestone in 2015 as it exceeded the $30 billion mark in annual sales and also racked up another impressive quarter.

The grocer reported that net earnings for the quarter ended Dec. 26, 2015, rose 15% to $521.1 million, from $453.3 million in the year ago period. For the full year, earnings rose some 13%, to $2 billion, compared to $1.7 billion last year.

Publix on Tuesday posted sales for the fourth quarter of 2015 of $8.2 billion, a 4.5% increase. Comparable-store sales for the fourth quarter of 2015 increased 3.2%.

“I’m pleased to report another year with excellent results,” said CEO Ed Crenshaw. “Our associates deserve the credit for continuing to make us a leader in customer service.”

Publix’ sales for the fiscal year ended Dec. 26, 2015, were $32.4 billion, a 5.9% increase from last year’s $30.6 billion. Comparable-store sales for 2015 increased 4.2%.

Ross Stores reported strong results for its fourth quarter. But similar to many other retailers, the off-price retailer sounded a cautious note with regards to sales and earnings for its new fiscal year.

Ross on Tuesday reported earnings per share for the fourth quarter ended January 30, 2016 of $.66, up 10% from the prior year, on net earnings that rose 6% to a better-than-expected $264 million.

Sports Authority Inc., which is reportedly preparing to file for bankruptcy, has discussed selling stores and intellectual property to rival chain Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. and other parties, according to Bloomberg.

Sports Authority, once the largest sporting-goods retailer in the U.S., is heading toward default after years of losing ground to competitors. The Englewood, Colorado-based chain missed a Jan. 15 interest payment on some of its debt and failed to make the payment during a 30-day grace period.

Sports Authority Inc., which is reportedly preparing to file for bankruptcy, has discussed selling stores and intellectual property to rival chain Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. and other parties, according to Bloomberg.

Sports Authority, once the largest sporting-goods retailer in the U.S., is heading toward default after years of losing ground to competitors. The Englewood, Colorado-based chain missed a Jan. 15 interest payment on some of its debt and failed to make the payment during a 30-day grace period.