BUSINESS

02/25/2010

More private equity firms ready to help Zale
Zale Corp. expects to have a solution to its cash needs within three months, as additional suitors express interest in working with management to right the 85-year-old Texas chain.

Blockbuster loses $435M in 4th quarter
Blockbuster Inc. reported a deeper-than-expected fourth-quarter loss of $435 million as the Dallas-based company's business deteriorated during the holidays, requiring it to substantially reduce its value.

02/24/2010

Zale reports second-quarter profit on lower costs
Results were better than analysts expected and while the Irving-based company disclosed it isn’t in default of its credit agreement, it still needs a new source of cash.

Zale stock up 27% on possible infusion
Zale Corp.'s stock price soared Tuesday as investors reacted to the prospect of a private equity firm investing in the troubled jewelry retailer.

02/23/2010

Apollo Management equity firm has plan to boost Zale
Apollo Management, a private equity firm that had a major investment in Zale Corp. in the 1990s, wants to pump cash into the troubled Irving-based jewelry chain.

02/21/2010

Leadership, return to diamond basics could save Zale, experts say
For six straight years, Zale Corp. fumbled the all-important holiday shopping season – a time of year that makes up 100 percent of its annual profit.

02/20/2010

Penney's expecting a good year
J.C. Penney Co. says it expects to reverse sales declines of the last two years and start growing again in 2010.

Judge orders operator of Dallas diner Avila's to return items stripped in family feud
Avila's Mexican Restaurant, a tiny Dallas diner with a big reputation, took a step toward reopening Friday when a judge ordered the longtime operator to restore items he took from the restaurant or face a stiff fine.

02/19/2010

J.C. Penney profit falls 5 percent, but still beats forecast

FILE/Bloomberg News

Penney plans to spend $500 million opening and upgrading stores.

The Plano-based department store chain said it expects to reverse sales declines in 2010. The company also said store employees will get bonuses for improved customer service in 2009.
Latest J.C. Penney news
Consumer prices excluding food and energy decline
Blog: Shopping

02/18/2010

Wal-Mart profit rises 22 percent for 4Q
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reported a 22 percent increase in its fourth-quarter profit as the world's largest retailer cut costs and slimmed down its inventories.

02/16/2010

Mall owner Simon Properties' bid for General Growth could face competition

FILE/DMN

Collin Creek Mall in Plano is among General Growth's properties in the Dallas area.

Locally, Simon’s proposed purchase would give it a virtual stranglehold on the Dallas-Fort Worth mall scene. The combined companies would own or manage 14 of the area's 21 major malls and lifestyle centers.
Latest news: Simon | General Growth
Links: Simon | General Growth
Blog: Shopping

02/13/2010

Zale cuts 60 jobs at Irving headquarters
Zale Corp. cut about 60 jobs at its Irving headquarters, or 7 percent of its staff there, the company said Friday. About 800 people will still work at the headquarters, chief financial officer Matt Appel said.

02/12/2010

Retail sales gains in January could boost growth
Retail sales posted a better-than-expected increase in January, a welcome development that could mean stronger economic growth in coming months.

Blockbuster fighting back with new technologies

SONYA N. HEBERT/DMN

Alex Dickey, 12, of Dallas checks out Green Play digital media players for sale at a Blockbuster in North Dallas.

Blockbuster is betting its survival on new technologies designed to make it easy to watch movies wherever and however you want.
More Blockbuster news | Blog: Technology

02/10/2010

Departing execs at Blockbuster named
A regulatory filing by the company Tuesday identified the executives as Phillip K. Morrow, Eric H. Peterson and Bill R. Lee.

Struggling Zale hires firm to explore strategic options
Zale said it hired Peter J. Solomon Co., a New York-based independent investment banking advisory firm to the retail industry.

02/09/2010

7-Eleven store to open at American Airlines Center
The sports and event center is in final negotiations with the Dallas-based convenience store chain to open a 7-Eleven store accessible from inside and outside the building. AAC is home to the Mavericks and Stars professional sports teams.

02/08/2010

Blockbuster cuts Dallas-area jobs as part of corporate reorganization
Blockbuster Inc. has reorganized its Dallas-based corporate staff resulting in some layoffs, including job losses in the executive ranks.

02/04/2010

Dallas-area luxury vendors get a bounce from NBA-All Star visitors

DMN File, Getty Images, BusinessWire

Scores of North Texas businesses are experiencing a rare surge in demand for high-end goods and services.
Residents renting out homes
Banners give players star treatment
All-Star events, resources, latest chatter

02/05/2010

Shoppers loosened purse strings in January
Wealthier shoppers went on a buying binge in January, and even middle-income Americans spent a little more, retailers said Thursday.

02/04/2010

Dollar General to add 5,000 jobs, open 600 stores
Discount retailer Dollar General says it will add 5,000 jobs as it opens 600 new stores over the next 12 months.

Sally Beauty 1Q profit soars 63 percent
The retailer and wholesaler of beauty supplies and hair products has benefitted during the downturn as shoppers turning to its stores for at-home products in between fewer visits to salons.

Return of luxury shoppers lifts Neiman Marcus sales

FILE/AP

Neiman's best-selling categories included precious jewelery and women's couture apparel.

For the first time since the downturn, the Dallas-based retailer said its stores in the Southeast showed strength.
Latest Neiman's news
J.C. Penney's store sales fall 4.6 percent
Cindy Crawford to sell jewelry for J.C. Penney
U.S. retailers report modest gains for January

Blockbuster bonds are worst 2009 junk issue after loss estimate
Blockbuster Inc. notes have fallen the most of any high-yield, high-risk bonds sold in 2009 after the movie-rental chain's estimated fourth-quarter loss sparked concern that it may go bankrupt.

J.C. Penney's store sales fall 4.6 percent

FILE/AP

Shoppers look over jewelry at the J.C. Penney store in North Riverside, Ill.

The Plano-based company's January results were slightly better than expected.
Cindy Crawford to sell jewelry for J.C. Penney
U.S. retailers report modest gains for January
Neiman Marcus' store sales rise 6.8 percent
Latest J.C. Penney news

Cindy Crawford to sell jewelry for J.C. Penney
Model Cindy Crawford is extending her brand with a new line of fine jewelry priced from $79 to $299 that will be exclusive to J.C. Penney beginning in April.

02/03/2010

Swag purveyors push pencils, other freebies at show in Dallas

KYE R. LEE/DMN

“Promo,” the Advertising Specialty Institute show’s mascot, wandered through the exhibits.

The part of the advertising industry behind giveaways and freebies exhibited their new lines of promotional products at the Dallas Convention Center this week, hoping to make a comeback.
Link: Advertising Specialty Institute

Hollywood Video parent Movie Gallery files for bankruptcy
The company's Hollywood Video stores in Dallas at 322 S. Hampton Road and in Mesquite at 1531 S. Belt Line Road are closing.
Link: Use the store locator tool to see if stores near you are closing

02/01/2010

Neiman Marcus will pay $25,000 to settle Humane Society suit over fur-trimmed coats
The Humane Society of the United States filed the lawsuit against several companies including Neiman's, Saks and Macy's in 2008 after it discovered raccoon dog fur was misidentified as fake fur on several coats.

Plano-based Rent-A-Center's fourth-quarter profit rises
Rent-A-Center Inc. said more customers are visiting its stores, helping to send its fourth-quarter profit up and prompting the company to issue strong guidance for the year.

Cellphone coupons arriving at a fast clip

J.C. Penney

Retailers and product manufacturers are quickly embracing digital coupons – often sent as text messages to shoppers' cellphones.
Use your phone to save cash
More retail news
Blog: Shopping

01/29/2010

7-Eleven boss went undercover - and he's talking about it with Oprah

JEFF NEIRA/CBS

Wearing a beard and glasses, CEO Joe DePinto went undercover to take on several 7-Eleven jobs for a new CBS reality show. Employees were told he was a new hire being filmed for a training video.

The Dallas company's chief executive, Joe DePinto, is appearing on Winfrey's show Monday to discuss what he learned as the first "undercover boss" on a new CBS reality show.

01/30/2010

Investor Carl Icahn leaves Blockbuster's board
Activist investor Carl Icahn resigned Friday from Blockbuster Inc.'s board, five years after a contentious proxy battle and with his stake in the largest U.S. movie rental chain valued at a fraction of his original investment.

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