News

Express finishes holiday strong; raises profit forecasts
Columbus, Ohio -- Express is lifting its fourth-quarter and full-year profit forecasts, citing a better-than-expected performance at the end of December and beginning of January.

CEO Michael Weiss said that Express Inc. experienced slowing sales during the first three weeks of December, but that its performance has bounced back since.

Fourth-quarter same-store sales are now predicted to fall 3%-4%; Express previously forecast a mid to high single-digit decline in the figure.
A future-proof terminal from Verifone?
While an increasing number of retailers are using smartphones and tablets as mobile payment terminals, the payment process can be tricky. Now leading payments provider Verifone has a solution to that problem: PAYware Mobile e355.

Verifone’s new mPOS terminal will support all mobile payment platforms and devices, and will be a valuable option for retailers looking to deploy a mobile POS system without being locked into a single ecosystem.

Survey: Retailers’ top IT priority is payment security

Boston -- Survey results released by Boston Retail Partners found that the top IT priority for retailers in 2015 is focused on improving payment security, and protecting the confidentiality of sensitive information.

For the first time in 16 years, more than 63% of the retail respondents in the BRP 2015 POS/Customer Engagement Benchmarking Survey indicated that payment security is among their top priorities for 2015.
Mitchells Family of Stores implements M World and virtual closets

New York -- Family-owned luxury apparel retailer Mitchells Family of Stores has partnered with ThoughtWorks Retail to reenergize the luxury shopping experience through its e-commerce and brick-and-mortar channels. The newly launched, customized responsive-design website, developed by ThoughtWorks, allows the Mitchells loyal customer base to access personal shopping profiles via M World, a platform where customers can see their own virtual closets of wardrobe purchases made both in the physical store or on the e-commerce site.
PayPal gives retailers new way to drive sales

There have been many bold predictions about retail trends, but not as many predictions about trends when it comes to the future of retail payments in the digital age. Well, for PayPal, it seems as though the future is now.
Body Central going out of business, to close all remaining stores

New York -- Embattled apparel retailer Body Central has gone out of business and closed its entire remaining store base, effective Sunday evening, according to attorney for the company Gardner Davis.

Based in Jacksonville, Florida, the 265-store Body Central Corp. had said earlier this week that it was "experiencing significant liquidity challenges" and was working with advisers to evaluate its options. With the closure announcement, about 2,500 employees lost their jobs.
Dunkin' Brands added 422 net new Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins restaurants in 2014

Canton, Mass. -- Dunkin' Brands Group, the parent company of Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, announced that in 2014 its U.S. franchisees opened a total of 422 net new Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins.
Genesco on the right foot in Q4

Despite a strong increase in same store sales, Genesco’s CEO says the company remains cautious about the rest of the fourth quarter.

Genesco Inc. reported that its same store sales, including both stores and direct sales, increased 10% for the quarter-to-date period ended Jan. 3, from the equivalent period last year. Same store sales increased 9% and sales for the company's e-commerce and catalog direct sales businesses increased 25% on a comparable basis for the period.
Top 5 retail trends to watch in 2015

The retail landscape is changing more rapidly now than at any point in history. As technology and customer demands evolve, retailers and their supply chains must be increasingly flexible and adaptable.

Let’s take a look at the top 5 trends for the retail supply chain in 2015.

1. This year will be omnichannel’s time to shine.
Bed Bath & Beyond beats Street even as Q3 profit drops

Union, N.J. – Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. beat Wall Street expectations for its third quarter net earnings even as they declined from the same quarter in fiscal 2013. Net earnings equaled $225.4 million, a 5% decline from $237.2 million.

An increase in selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses was a major factor in the net earnings drop. Net sales rose 3% to $2.94 million, from $2.86 million. Same-store sales rose 1.7%.