News

Hamilton, Bermuda – Net income at Signet Jewelers grew 2% to $175.2 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, compared to $171.8 million in the fourth quarter of the preceding fiscal year. Net sales increased 3% to $1.56 billion from $1.51 billion and same-store sales increased 4%.

During the full fiscal year, net income grew 2% to $368 million from $359.9 million and net sales improved 3% to $4.21 billion from $3.98 billion. Same-store sales rose 4%.

Walmart had heads turning this week at the Mid-America Trucking Show where it unveiled a futuristic concept vehicle unlike anything on the road today.

New York -- Toys “R” Us has launched a new strategy to drive future growth that includes a big emphasis on improving its in-store customer experience.

The nation’s largest toy retailer said it will update its existing stores to make them easier to shop, focusing on everything from the restrooms and lighting to the flooring and signage. It also is committed to reducing in-store clutter and improving in-stocks and checkout speed (slow checkouts registered as a big customer complaint in its research.).

New York -- Social media sites are playing an increasingly important role in driving traffic to other websites, including retail websites and even other social networking sites, at the expense of search engines and portal websites, according to new research from Experian Research Services. As of March 2014, social media sites now account for 7.72% of all traffic to retail web sites, up from 6.59% in March 2013. Further, Pinterest, more than Facebook or YouTube, is supplying the greatest percentage of downstream traffic to retail sites.

New York – Amazon.com and Google were among the biggest winners in the annual CoreBrand Top 100 Most Powerful Brands Rankings for 2014, both increasing in their rankings. Walgreens and UPS dropped 11 spots each.

The report ranks the top 100 corporate brands in terms of market reputation and awareness. Consumer-cyclical and consumer-staple brands represent 58 of the top 100 corporate brands, which CoreBrand says indicates that the most powerful brands have a strong connection to consumers.

Manhattan Associates’ Floor & Decor, a leading specialty retailer in the hard surface flooring market, has selected Manhattan Associates' transportation management system (TMS) and warehouse management System (WMS) solutions to unify its distribution systems under one platform that will allow the company's to grow.

San Jose, Calif. -- EBay Enterprise, an EBay company, will open a new fulfillment center in Ontario, Canada, in second quarter 2014. The new 150,000-sq.-ft. facility will support client growth, including The Children’s Place, which recently signed a new multiyear agreement with EBay Enterprise.

Favorable tax credits and a 53rd week in fiscal 2012 affected Fred’s net income results for the fourth quarter. Severe weather also contributed some to the company’s net sales decline, as did higher-than-normal utility bills and rising generic drug costs.

The company reported a substantial 34.5% decrease in its net income during the quarter of fiscal 2013, to $5.56 million from $8.49 million in the same quarter a year earlier. Net sales declined 7.2% to $495 million from $533.4 million, and same-store sales grew 0.1%.