FINANCE

Fred's Inc. saw July sales drop 7% to $154 million, compared to $165.6 million in the same period last year.    Comparable store sales for the month declined 4.6%, compared with an increase of 0.7% in the year-earlier period.   Fred's total sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2016 decreased 3.4% to $527.7 million, from $546.1 million for the same period last year. On a comparable store basis, second quarter sales decreased 2% versus an increase of 0.9% for the year-earlier period.

HSN’s CFO and COO is taking a new job, but she won’t have to travel far.   Judy Schmeling has assumed the helm of the Cornerstone Brands division of HSN, which consists of home and apparel banners such as Frontgate, Garnet Hill, Grandin Road and TravelSmith.    Schmeling, who will continue to report to HSN CEO Mindy Grossman, will maintain her COO position at HSN, and she will remain CFO until a successor is appointed.  

Thanks to homeowners who are sitting on their houses and Millennials who are starting to buy some, Home Depot CEO Craig Menear sees a rosy revenue picture ahead for home centers. 

Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. reported second-quarter net income of $37.2 million, which topped Wall Street expectations.    The natural and organic food retailer posted revenue of $1.03 billion in the period, narrowly missing Street forecasts of $1.04 billion, but topping last year’s sales by 14%.   Same-store sales grew 4.1% in the period.

The Cato Corp. reported sales of $61.2 million for the four weeks ended July 30, down 8% from the same period a year ago.     Same-store sales for the month were down 10% from the prior year.   On a quarterly basis, Cato sales for the second quarter fell 5% to $236.7 million, compared to $249.2 million a year ago. Second quarter same-store sales were down 6% from the prior year.  

Just three months after its proposed acquisition by Staples ran into regulatory roadblocks, Office Depot unveiled its plans for the future as a standalone retailer.   In its second quarter financial filing, the chain announced it would close an additional 300 stores during the next three years, a move that is anticipated to help cut annual costs by some $250 million by the end of 2018. Office Depot is also planning to cut costs by reducing procurement and general and administrative costs.    

Not even a political slug fest can shake the current consumer. The latest Nielsen Consumer Confidence Index showed that consumer confidence in the U.S. is on the rise, despite the uncertainty and starkly contrasting rhetoric around key economic issues.   Per the Index, Americans remained optimistic in the second quarter with a three-point confidence increase to 113. In contrast, the global consumer confidence index for the same period was flat at 98.   Other U.S. highlights include: 

No big surprise that apparel continues to be the most popular retail category across all channels, but what is noteworthy is that clothing purchases show no sign of slowing, particularly online.   A survey by Onestop Internet revealed that the apparel category is driving online growth, with 45% of respondents saying they plan to buy more clothing online than any other retail category in the next 12 months.