BUSINESS

03/11/2010

Heelys trimmed losses in 4th quarter and all of 2009 despite lower sales
Wheeled-shoe maker Heelys Inc. narrowed its loss for the fourth quarter and full year 2009, despite lower sales.

Whole Foods prepares for grand opening of its Park Lane store in Dallas
This isn't just another swanky supermarket.

Paciugo Gelato, airport concessionaire team up
Paciugo Gelato & Caffè, a Dallas-based franchiser of Italian gelato shops, has signed an agreement with an Atlanta-based airport concessionaire to bring Paciugo outlets to U.S. airports.

03/10/2010

Whole Foods prepares for grand opening of Dallas Park Lane store

DMN

Employees prepare for the Whole Foods opening.

Whole Foods Market’s newest and biggest store in North Texas, opening Monday on Park Lane in Dallas, represents five years of planning, renegotiating, rethinking, downsizing and waiting out a recession.

Three Rent-A-Center companies sue Aaron's
The three Plano-based companies that operate the Rent-A-Center chain filed a civil suit Tuesday against Aaron's Inc., accusing their Georgia-based competitor of false advertising.

03/09/2010

Neiman Marcus CEO says luxury shoppers returning as chain posts a profit
Neiman Marcus Inc. swung to a profit in its fiscal second quarter as sales rebounded during the holiday season and the Dallas-based company slashed expenses.

Dillard's opening two stores this year, both in Texas
Dillard's is opening two stores in Texas this week: in Collin County on Wednesday and in Austin on Thursday.

03/08/2010

Wal-Mart adds back items as shoppers turn to other stores
The company met with suppliers about reinstating items to keep customers from going to other stores, said Leon Nicholas, a director at consulting firm Kantar Retail who has spoken with manufacturers about the move. Wal-Mart,

03/05/2010

La Madeleine founder may take role as adviser

MONA REEDER/DMN

Patrick Esquerre, founder of La Madeleine, will be honored today at Savor Dallas for his accomplishments.

Patrick Esquerre, founder of La Madeleine Country French Cafe, is planning a return trip to a place he never really left. Esquerre, the affable Frenchman who made a home for crepes in the heart of steak country, is in talks with management of the bakery cafe chain about taking on a new role as ambassador/adviser. It will be his first official role since he sold the Dallas-based chain in 1998, after developing it from a single outpost in the shadow of Southern Methodist University.

03/04/2010

Pier 1 store sales increase 6.5 percent
Pier 1 Imports Inc. reported Thursday that same-store sales increased 6.5 percent in its just completed fiscal fourth quarter and it expects to report a bigger profit than analysts forecast.

Penney's store sales rise, beating estimates

FILE/DMN

With the exception of home, every major department at Penney's posted higher sales.

The Plano-based retailer's sales swung to an increase for the first time since November 2007.
Latest Penney's news
Pier 1 store sales increase 6.5 percent
Neiman Marcus reports 3rd straight month of gains
Other U.S. retailers see sales increase

03/03/2010

Market Street debuts nutritional scoring system in Dallas area

FILE/DMN

The NuVal System is now in Market Street's Colleyville, Frisco, Plano and Allen stores. It'll be in Coppell and McKinney by mid-March.

Market Street says its NuVal System will help consumers make quick decisions about which foods provide the most nutritional bang for their grocery bucks.
Photos: See how selected items score
Links: Market Street | NuVal
Blog: Eats

Neiman Marcus reports 3rd straight month of same-store sales gains
The Dallas-based chain on Wednesday reported higher sales from a year ago, but the increases don’t get the luxury retailer back to its pre-recession volumes.

Blockbuster reinstates late fees on video rentals
These aren't the egregious, uncapped, mother of all late fees that Dallas-based Blockbuster Inc. did away with five years ago. It says it's simply keeping up with the competition.
Latest Blockbuster news
Tech blog: Blockbuster inadvertently makes case for death of DVDs

03/02/2010

Blockbuster bondholders hire advisers
Blockbuster Inc. secured bondholders have hired Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin to advise them as the video retailer seeks to restructure its debt, according to people familiar with the situation who spoke to Bloomberg News.

03/01/2010

Executive VP Jeffrey J. Allison leaves Penney
Jeffrey J. Allison, J.C. Penney Co.’s executive vice president and senior merchandise manager over home, customer decorating and fine jewelry, has left the department store chain “for personal reasons,” the company said Monday.

02/28/2010

J.C. Penney pushing style during Oscar broadcast

AP

After two years of retail sales declines, Penney and its department store competitors are trying to increase sales in 2010.

The Plano-based department store chain is launching its spring marketing campaign by calling attention to its growing list of exclusive fashion brands during Sunday's Academy Awards broadcast.
Latest J.C. Penney news
Blog: Shopping

02/26/2010

$10 promotion helps Pizza Hut regains sales it lost to competitors
A $10 Pizza Hut promotion that launched late last year in Dallas and went nationwide last month has helped the country's largest pizza seller regain some of the sales it lost to lower-priced chains, the company's president said Thursday.

Chuck E. Cheese's parent company's profit falls short of forecasts
An extra week and a reduced share count helped double fourth-quarter profit at the parent of the Chuck E. Cheese's, but it wasn't enough to meet analysts' forecasts.

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

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