News

Burlington, N.J. – Aided by reductions in areas such as interest expense, debt extinguishment and stock option modification, Burlington Stores Inc. more than doubled its net income to $25.69 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2015 from $11.77 million the same period a year earlier. The company plans to open 25 stores during fiscal 2015.

New York -- Alibaba Group wants small business owners from the United States to sell their merchandise on its e-commerce sites is looking for more American products to sell to Chinese consumers.

“We need more American products,” said Alibaba founder and executive chairman Jack Ma in a speech at the Economic Club of New York on Tuesday.

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State College, Pa. - Consumers are spending 5% less time in supermarkets, compared to the previous year. Concurrently, the sixth annual C-Store MegaStudy from VideoMining Corp. found that shoppers' time in convenience stores increased 6% from the previous year.

VideoMining integrates behavioral data with a range of other data sources, including transaction data and exit interviews. In the C-Store MegaStudy, for example, this integration showed a correlation between time in store and average dollar basket size, which grew by 9%.

Ankeny, Iowa – Casey’s General Store beat Wall Street expectations for profit and revenue during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015. Net income roughly doubled to $41.34 million from $20.94 million, fueled by a drop in cost of goods sold.

Total revenue fell 14% to $1.65 billion from $1.92 billion, but still exceed analyst estimates.

During fiscal 2016, Casey’s plans to build or acquire 75 to 113 stores, replace 10 existing locations and complete 100 major remodels.

Simon is expanding the hugely successful Sawgrass Mills outlet and entertainment center in Florida by adding a new, full-price component.

New York – Fast-casual sandwich chain Which Wich is partnering with Olo, a provider of online and mobile ordering solutions for the restaurant industry, to debut a new mobile app and digital ordering program.

Bealls has come up with a creative marketing campaign to leverage the artistic talent of its customers.

The company has launched the Bealls Florida Artist Competition, which will provide the opportunity for new and established artists to have their artwork produced into a line of Florida-inspired products exclusive to Bealls Florida.

Washington, D.C. - Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports has returned to normal levels following ratification of a new West Coast labor agreement, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates.