News

NEW YORK — Foot Locker's fourth quarter profit rose to $104 million from $81 million a year earlier.

Sales jumped 14% to $1.71 billion, including the benefit of an extra week. Same-store sales rose 7.9%.

For fiscal year 2012, which included 53 weeks, the company reported net income of $397 million, compared to $278 million a year earlier.

Total sales increased 9.9% in 2012 to $6.182 million, compared with sales of $5.623 million last year. Same-store sales were up 9.4% in 2012.

NEW YORK — Control Group, a New York City-based technology and design firm, has unveiled its work with the newly launched Kate Spade Saturday brand. The unique concept celebrates the social side of shopping by bringing the online experience into the retail stores. The first experience will be through the flagship store in Tokyo, which opened on March 2. It will roll out to all other retail stores – both in the United States and Japan – throughout 2013.

By Denise Lee Yohn, Deniseleeyohn.com

Apple has once again rewritten the rules of business.  Its request to trademark the “Distinctive Design & Layout” of its stores has been granted by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. And so, as unconventional as it may seem, the Apple store’s distinctive minimalist design and Genius Bar service are now as protected as the rounded corners and user interface of the company’s mobile devices.  

NEW YORK — Macy's exclusive new MADE Fashion Week for Impulse collection is now available at 150 Macy's stores and online at Macys.com. Inspired by New York's MADE Fashion Week initiative co-founded by Jenné Lombardo, Mazdack Rassi and Keith Baptista, MADE Fashion Week for Impulse combines fashion, music, art and pop culture, reflecting the unique street-style of today's tastemakers. 

Chicago -- Vibes, a mobile marketing and technology company, announced the results of a successful mobile campaign aimed at engaging and increasing Build-A-Bear Workshop’s customer base through their mobile phones.
 

The board of directors of the General Electric Company nominated former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Mary Schapiro to serve on its board.

Schapiro will stand for election at GE’s annual meeting on April 24, the company said.

NEW YORK — Walmart's EVP corporate affairs, Leslie Dach, is stepping down in June. 

"Leslie has played a pivotal role in helping us understand the broader role Walmart can play in meeting the major challenges facing society today, and social goals are now an integral part of how we run our business," Wal-Mart chief executive Mike Duke in the memo.

COPPELL, Texas — Walls + Forms Inc. has introduced its Mini Pallet Promota, a modular, robust pallet display system designed specifically for promoting palletized or bulk stacked products.