News

New York – Aeropostale Inc. reported a net loss of $76.8 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2014, up from the $12.2 million net loss it reported a year earlier. It also projected a second-quarter loss forecast bigger than analysts expected.

The struggling retailer, which has reported a loss for six consecutive quarters, had a generally difficult quarter overall, as net sales fell 12% to $395.9 million from $452.3 million and same-store sales decreased 13%.  Aeropostale has reported declining comparable sales for seven straight quarters.

Dublin, Calif. – By controlling inventory and expenses, Ross Stores Inc. was able to report a 4% increase in net income during the first quarter of fiscal 2014 despite bad weather and other negative factors. Net income totaled $243.9 million, up from $234.6 million in the same period the prior year.

First quarter 2014 sales increased 6% to $2.68 billion, up from $2.54 billion in first quarter 2013. Same-store sales rose 1%. Ross Stores expects same-store sales to grow 1%-2% during the second quarter of fiscal 2014.

Woonsocket, R.I. – CVS Caremark is reportedly considering a purchase of Brazilian drugstore chain Drogarias Pacheco São Paulo (DPSP) as it looks to further expand its presence in Brazil, according to news reports.

Following the alleged rejection of its first offer of 4.5 billion Brazilian reais ($2 billion), CVS is reportedly looking to possibly make another offer, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing the local newspaper Valor Economico. DPSP has reportedly set a minimum price for the company at BRL5.9 billion.

New York – Foot Locker Inc. had a successful first quarter of fiscal 2014, with rising sales driving solid net income performance. Net income grew 17% to $162 million, from $138 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2013.

Net sales rose 14% to $1.87 billion, from $1.64 billion. Same-store sales climbed 7.6%.

New York – New York & Company Inc. swung to a net loss of $300,000 in the first quarter of fiscal 2014 from net income of $1.6 million in the first quarter of the previous fiscal year. Net sales were $219.6 million, down 4% from $227.5 million, and same-store sales declined 2.2%.

Evansville, Ind. – Shoe Carnival Inc. reported a 3% year-over-year drop in net income to $9.2 million, from $9.5 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2014. The retailer plans to open 23-28 new stores in fiscal 2014, including 16 in the second quarter and seven-to-12 in the fourth quarter.

Shoe Carnival’s net sales grew 1.5% to $235.8 million, from $232.3 million.

Greensboro, N.C. – The Fresh Market Inc. reported decreasing profit in the first quarter of fiscal 2014 even as net sales growth exceeded Wall Street expectations. Net income fell 25% to $16.57 million from $22.12 million in the same period the prior year, while net sales increased 18% to $431 million from $366.63 million and same-store sales climbed 2.5%.

Fresh Market plans to open four new stores in the second quarter and 12 to 13 new stores in the second half of the year, as well as remodel four-to-five stores.

Neptune, N.J -- Marathon Data Systems, which provides a cloud-based route management platform for companies with a mobile workforce, is launching its new delivery pick-up and drop-off feature. The new feature tracks load to ensure that all vehicles’ load capacity limits — like weight, volume and value — remain within required limits during the entire route, while planning the correct order of pickups and deliveries to best optimize routes.  

Walldorf, Germany – SAP AG is releasing cloud-based Rapid Deployment solutions designed to simplify deployments and move existing SAP applications to the cloud with best practices in a predictable manner that helps minimize business disruption while new solutions are implemented. SAP Rapid Deployment solutions follow a universally applicable approach for customers deploying across the cloud, on premise or in hybrid landscapes.

San Jose Calif. – The states of Connecticut, Florida, and Illinois, are jointly investigating a recent data breach at EBay Inc., and the state of New York is asking EBay to offer free credit monitoring for any customer whose data was exposed.