News

Despite an increase of 1% in comparable store sales, Dillard’s CEO William T. Dillard II expressed disappointment in the company’s bottom line performance.

The company’s net sales for the 13 weeks ended Aug. 2 were $1.475 billion, compared to net sales of $1.480 billion for the 13 weeks ended Aug. 3, 2013. Net sales include the operations of the company’s construction business, CDI Contractors.

Newell Rubbermaid’s EVP and CFO Doug Martin has resigned from the company effective August 31, to be EVP and CFO at Spectrum Brands, effective September 1.

Newell Rubbermaid has retained Spencer Stuart to help the company search for a new CFO. While that search is underway, John Stipancich, the company's EVP, general counsel, corporate secretary and EMEA leader, has been tapped as interim financial chief.

Walmart held its second U.S. Manufacturing Summit in Denver on Thursday and used the occasion to dole out the first of $10 million in grants designed to stimulate innovation and the creation of U.S. jobs.
 
The initial grants presented this week were given to organizations focused on reducing the cost of textiles manufacturing, including home textiles and apparel, in the U.S. by addressing obstacles throughout production and improving common manufacturing processes with broad application to many types of consumer products.
 

The Estée Lauder Companies achieved record net sales and reported overall strong financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended June 30.

For the year, the company achieved record net sales of $10.97 billion, an 8% increase compared with $10.18 billion in the prior year. Even excluding the impact of foreign currency translation, net sales still increased 8%.

BJ's Wholesale Club plans to partner with 215 schools through the organization's Adopt-A-School program. At the beginning of each school year, every BJ's Wholesale Club and Distribution Center partners with a local school to help enhance existing curriculum.

Supervalu has suffered a data breach that may have resulted in theft of customer payment card data. The stolen information may include account numbers, and in some cases also the expiration date, other numerical information and/or the cardholder’s name.

Office Depot is leveraging a new back-to-school shopping trend report to drive traffic to its stores this back-to-school season.

The survey, commissioned by Office Depot, reports the manner in which parents and students approach back-to-school shopping, including who in the family has the most influence over purchasing decisions and whether shoppers stick to a provided classroom list or add personalized items to their school supplies.

Wet Seal is partnering with girl group Fifth Harmony for a new collection of clothes that will be rolled out over the next three seasons.

The line will feature styles modeled on each member of the five-piece group, which formed in 2012 during the second season of “The X Factor.” Basing different pieces of the collection on each member of Fifth Element means a diversity that will range from grunge looks to more dressy styles.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group met or exceeded several of its corporate social responsibility goals over the past year, according to the 2014 report the company released Friday.
 
One of the goals it reports meeting was reducing its use of PET, a polymer used in beverage bottles. DPS conserved about 60.7 million pounds since 2007 by redesigning packaging and upgrading almost 70,000 older-model coolers and vending machines.

Nike has appointed a new VP and GM of its stores and its women’s line. Heidi O’Neill will work with Nike stores, and Amy Montagne has been placed with NIKE Women’s.
 
“These two appointments demonstrate our commitment to investing in our retail experience and our women’s business – two of our most strategic growth opportunities,” Nike brand president Trevor Edwards said. “We’re delighted to elevate two seasoned Nike leaders in these important roles.”