News

With rising expectations that Walmart’s sales for the recently ended second quarter will be weak when it reports on August 15, the company once again has naysayers doubting its growth prospects with some questioning its long-term viability.

A spectacular mixed-use development will soon break ground in Gainesville, Fla. — at the intersection of I-75 and Archer Road. When complete, Celebration Pointe will run more than a half-mile along I-75, the heart of Gainesville’s most successful retail corridor.

The project’s specs are awesome: 125 acres, 1 million sq. ft., 300,000 sq. ft. of upper-moderate and specialty retail, a huge restaurant and entertainment component, Class A office space, nearly 1,000 multifamily residential units, a branded hotel.

San Francisco, Calif. — RichRelevance, a cloud-based platform and omnichannel personalization solutions provider, has appointed Zach Koekemoer as the company’s CFO. 

Koekemoer has 20 years of experience working at high-growth technology companies, having held executive positions at technology innovators including iPlay, Industrial Origami, WageWorks and @Road. In his new role, he will oversee and lead all aspects of the company’s financial operations as RichRelevance positions itself to rapidly expand across all lines of business.

Woonsocket, R.I. - Accordant Health Services, a subsidiary of CVS Caremark, has launched an updated website and member portal, which provides new features and services for program members and is designed to help support and improve member engagement and participation for clients.

Accordant.com now provides eligible members with online access to educational materials, videos, communication tools and community resources that encompass 17 conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease and sickle cell disease.

New York – As a result of slumping net and same-store sales, Aeropostale is forecasting a net loss per share of between 42 cents and 44 cents during the second fiscal quarter of this year, which is 19 cents higher than the previously issued guidance. The revised estimate is based on a 6% decrease in net sales to $454 million, from $485.3 million in the year ago period.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Strong sales in linens, dresses and intimate apparel buoyed Stein Mart’s total sales for the second quarter ended August 3, which increased 3.8% to $290.9 million from $280.4 million for the same quarter last year. 

The company posted a comparable-store sales increase of 6.4% for the quarter. 

Gap Inc. continues to enjoy momentum at its namesake Gap stores and Old Navy units which pushed total company results up 8% to nearly $3.9 billion.

Results were strongest at Gap and Old Navy stores where comps increase 6% while Banana Republic comps declined 1%.

“We are pleased with our second quarter performance overall, and we’re focused on continuing our momentum as we move into the second half of the year,” said Glenn Murphy, chairman and CEO of Gap Inc.

By Ted Vaughan, [email protected]

The year 2012 was the best year for retail IPOs since 2002 — S&P Capital IQ reported seven offerings for the year — and when we released our 2013 IPO Outlook Study earlier this year, 30% of capital markets executives expected initial public offerings (IPOs) in the retail and consumer products space to continue to grow in 2013. Now that we’re well into the second half of the year, how have those expectations fared?