Personnel Updates:

Advance Auto Parts has installed a new president, George Sherman and a new Exec VP of Merchandising, Marketing and Supply Chain in Charles Tyson. This is part of a restructuring to simplify organizational alignment, improve role clarity and provide a more intense focus on strategic and operational execution, according to the company. In addition, Jim Durkin, who had served as President of Autopart International assumed the role of Senior VP of Advance’s commercial business.
The company also eliminated several roles, including the COO position held by Kevin Freeland and the Senior VP of Commercial Sales and Marketing position held by Donna Broome.

Big Lots has named David Campisi as CEO and President of Big Lots.  Campisi succeeds Steve Fishman, who announced he would retire in December 2012 when the succession was completed.

Family Dollar has announced that Exec VP Supply Chain, Charles S. Gibson has left the company to pursue other interests.

Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores has hired Kris Arabia as VP of Product Development.

Liquor Stores N.A. Ltd. announced that Stephen Bebis has been appointed President and CEO.  Mr. Bebis most recently was the President and CEO of Brookstone Inc.  This means that Jim Dinning, Chairman relinquishes his role as Interim CEO.

Overstock.com founder Patrick M. Byrne has returned as CEO of online discount retailer.  Byrne took a medical leave of absence in February to address cardiac issues thought to be associated with cancer treatments received much earlier in his life.

During his leave, Byrne retained his position as chairman, but appointed Jonathan Johnson, formerly president, as acting CEO. Recently, Johnson was nominated to stand for election to the board of directors at the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting in May. The company’s proxy materials note that if Johnson is elected, the board intends to appoint him as executive vice chairman of the board.

RadioShack has named Jennifer Warren as its new Senior VP and CMO, and Michael DeFazio as its new Senior VP of Store Concepts.                                                                                                     

RadioShack announced that VP of Marketing Paul M. Okimoto has left the company in to take the position of Chief Marketing Officer at The Sports Authority.

Staples has appointed Faisal Masud as its new Exec VP of Global e-Commerce.

Target named Scott Kennedy President of Target Financial and Retail Service to replace long time finance executive Terry Scully.  Scully spent nearly 35 years with Target and is moving into a strategic advisory role to ensure the smooth transition of the recently sold credit card portfolio to TD Bank Group.

Williams-Sonoma announced that Janet Hayes, currently the President of Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen, has become President of the Williams-Sonoma brand.  She replaces Richard Harvey who has left the company after 30 years of service.  Sandra Stangl, President of Pottery Barn, will expand her role to include Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen.

 

Financial Focus:

ALCO Stores, Inc. announced operating results for the fiscal year ended February 3, 2013.  Net sales from continuing operations during the 53 weeks of fiscal year 2013 increased 3.5% to $492.6 million compared to net sales during the 52 weeks of fiscal year 2012 of $476.0 million. Excluding the 53rd week of fiscal year 2013, net sales from continuing operations increased 2.1% to $486.1 million.

CDW Corporation announced that for the year ended December 31, 2012, total net sales in 2012 were $10.128 billion compared to $9.602 billion in 2011, an increase of 5.5 percent.

PC Connection Inc., announced annual sales of $2.159 billion up from $2.103 billion from the previous year.

PCM Inc., (Formerly PC Mall) announced annual sales of $1,420.859,000 down from $1,421,385,000 from the previous year.

The Pep Boys – Manny, Moe & Jack announced results for the fifty-three weeks (fiscal year) ended February 2, 2013.  Sales for fiscal year 2012 increased by $27.1 million, or 1.3%, to $2,090.7 million from $2,063.6 million for fiscal 2011.

Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. Reported that annual revenue rose 25% to $1.19 billion.

Systemax announced that annual sales increased to $3.545 billion for 2012 from $3.682 billion for the previous year.

T-Mobile announced annual revenues for 2012 of $19.72 billion.  This was down from annual revenues of $20.62 billion from the previous year.

United States Cellular Corporation reported annual revenues of $4.452 billion for fiscal 2012 up from $4.343 billion for the previous year, an increase of 2.5%.

United Stationers Inc. reported record revenue and earnings per share for the year ended December 31, 2012.  Net sales rose 1.9% from the prior year to $5.1 billion, after adjusting for one fewer selling day in 2012.

Value Vision Media Inc. announced annual net sales of $586.8 million for the fiscal year ended February 2, 2013.  This was an increase from $558.4 million for the previous year.

Verizon Wireless announced a boost in annual sales to $75.868 billion from $70.154 billion from the previous year.

Windstream Corp. grew total annual revenues to $6.156 billion from the previous year’s $4.281 billion, an increase of 43.8%.

 

Industry Insight:

Meijer marked a milestone May 16, when it opened its 200th store in Swartz Creek, Mich.

PC Mall has changed its corporate name to PCM.

The School Box Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.

 

Green Initiatives/Sustainability:

Office Depot will team up with ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability to expand the National Green Business Challenge, a program that encourages local businesses to take part in a friendly competition to save energy and money, reduce waste and water consumption and procure greener products.

The program was first piloted in 2010 as the City of Chicago’s “Green Office Challenge.”

Founded in 1990, ICLEI is an association of cities and local governments dedicated to sustainability that counts with more than 1,000 local government members in 84 countries. In the United States, ICLEI is a leader on climate action and clean energy provides tools, training and technical support to help cities and counties advance their sustainability goals. Originally called the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, ICLEI revised its mission, charter and name in 2003.

The four additional cities will receive funding to launch their own Green Business Challenge programs, building on the successful challenges that ICLEI and Office Depot helped launch with local governments in Chicago, Austin, Bellevue, Chula Vista and the Triangle J region.

Office Depot also announced that it will help ICLEI USA establish a Green Business Challenge resource center that will support cities and counties wishing to develop a Green Business Challenge, as well as a network of Green Business Challenge communities to encourage sharing of successful practices.

The announcement was made at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business & Civic Leadership Center’s Bricks & Sticks Sustainability Symposium, an event designed to showcase outstanding examples of public-private partnerships making a difference in the country.

ICLEI USA helped implement the challenge in Chicago, and Office Depot provided core funding and program design support. Chicago businesses that participated in Round 2 of the challenge collectively saved more than 124 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and more than 85,000 metric tons of carbon emissions.

The four new cities will be selected and announced later in 2013 and Office Depot will provide each with a Green Business Challenge implementation pack, which includes cash, in-kind support and training and technical support through ICLEI, as well as a customized Green Business Challenge software tool.

 

Walmart is eyeing greater energy efficiency and less reliance on fossil fuels as key drivers of its low cost, low price business model.

The company announced several new targets that are designed to put it further along the path to becoming supplied 100% by renewable energy and save an estimated $1 billion annually in energy costs. The company said it would drive the production or procurement of seven billion kWh of renewable energy globally every year, a 600 percent increase over 2010 levels while also reducing the kWh per square foot of energy intensity required to power Walmart’s buildings globally by 20% compared to 2010 levels.

Walmart said its six-fold increase in renewable energy projects is expected to be equal to eliminating the need for roughly two U.S. fossil fuel power plants. If achieved, Walmart will be able to avoid nine million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the equivalent of taking 1.5 million cars off the road, in effect halting the growth of GHG emissions from the company’s largest GHG source – energy used to power buildings – by 2020. For the first time, the company is projecting this GHG decrease even with significant anticipated growth in stores and sales.

Already, the renewable energy Walmart buys either meets or beats non-renewable power prices and last year the company added nearly 100 renewable energy projects, bringing the total number of projects in operation worldwide to nearly 300.

In the U.S. alone, Walmart hopes to install solar power on at least 1,000 rooftops and facilities by 2020, a significant increase from just over 200 solar projects in operation or under development currently. In addition to onsite solar, the company will continue to develop projects in wind, fuel cells and other technologies. It will also procure offsite renewable energy from utility-scale projects, such as large wind projects, micro-hydro projects and geothermal.

In order to meet its energy efficiency goal between now and 2020, Walmart projects to increase LED usage in sales floor lighting, parking lots and other applications. Walmart will also focus on market-relevant scalable technologies, including high efficiency HVAC and refrigeration systems and sophisticated energy/building control systems.