News

Columbus, Ohio – DSW Inc. exceeded Wall Street expectations for net income and sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2014. Net income fell a less than expected 10% to $49.55 million from $54.96 million the same quarter a year earlier, with higher operating expenses and lower pretax income contributing to the decline. Sales totaled $670 million compared to $633 million and same-store sales rose 2.6%.

Fort Myers, Fla. – Chico’s FAS Inc. reported a net loss of $28.5 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2014, compared to net income of $35.8 million in the third quarter of the previous fiscal year and below Wall Street predictions.

Iowa – Casey’s General Stores Inc. will revise its financial statements for fiscal years 2012, 2013 and 2014 and the first quarter of fiscal year 2015, due to a $31.5 million error in how it accounted for excise tax on sales of ethanol fuel.  

Atlanta - The Home Depot Inc. faces at least 44 lawsuits connected with a data breach that affected the retailer from April-September 2014. In a regulatory filing, the retailer said state and federal agencies are investigating the breach and more legal action is possible. The Home Depot also said ongoing breach-related investigation and litigation could affect operations and distract management, as well as incur additional unspecified costs and fines.

After nearly a decade of stalled growth in the shopping center industry, 2014 finally saw progress being made on the new development front. While it’s true that much of the ground-up construction was of the outlet center ilk, the value sector wasn’t the only new-build push. Mixed-use properties and open-air destinations continue to come out of the ground, albeit stingily, as do hybrid centers that defy current standard definitions.

Bloomingdale’s new store in Palo Alto, California, is the retailer’s most digitally sophisticated to date.

Retail maintenance work isn’t what it used to be. For one thing, it started to turn eco-friendly several years ago. The trend remains strong, and the good news is that green is finally becoming affordable, thanks to growing demand.

When it comes to facility maintenance, going green starts with the purchase of environmentally sensitive cleaning supplies, agents and equipment. The materials must be disposed of or recycled, and the tools needed may be different from traditional ones.

New York - A sophisticated marketing mix—one that includes social media, mobile and digital campaigns—is crucial in today’s fragmented retail environment. Twitter be can be especially helpful in targeting customers, according to one industry expert.

 

On the site of a former gas station in West Haven, Connecticut, CVS Health has unveiled its most environmentally progressive and energy-efficient store so far.

For starters, the LEED Platinum-certified drug store boasts daylighting, a landscape design that doesn’t require irrigation, super-efficient HVAC units and LED-lit coolers that light up when approached. (Platinum is the highest distinction in the LEED program.)

Temperatures are forecast to trend warmer than last year for the U.S. as a whole. However, the Southeast may see some cooler trends compared to last year. There is high confidence that the Great Lakes, New England, and South Central states will trend warmer than last year. Onshore flow in the West will bring milder and wetter weather to the region.  A more pronounced flow of moisture will bring more snow to the West Coast mountain ranges. At least one storm will eject out of the southern Rocky Mountains spreading a swath of snow from New Mexico to the Great Lakes and New England.