BEAUMONT, Texas -- The retailer Conn's Inc. said Thursday that its first-quarter profit climbed 8.7 percent, thanks to stronger sales of its electronics and mattresses.

The company also reaffirmed its full-year guidance.

For the three months ended April 30, the retailer earned $11.5 million, or 51 cents per share, up from $10.6 million, or 47 cents per share, a year ago.

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TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said that this year it will create more than 22,000 jobs in the U.S. in a variety of management and line positions as it expands stores and opens new ones.

On Thursday, the day before the annual meeting, the Bentonville, Ark., the retailing giant said in a statement that as part of the plan it would create more than 1,000 jobs in each of several states: Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia.

Last October, Wal-Mart /quotes/comstock/13*!wmt/quotes/nls/wmt (WMT 48.32, +0.07, +0.15%) said it would open or expand 142 to 157 stores during fiscal 2010.

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Due to customer growth, Aldi looks set to open an Atlanta-area distribution centre in America. The facility will hopefully use a space of 482,000 sq ft, and will also add 299,000 sq ft in the future. Commencement of the plan depends on local government approval.

Another eighty stores are planned for America this year. The chain seeks to continue expanding through Florida and Tampa, with another ten stores opening in Florida alone. Aldi's stores are mainly in the eastern half of the country, where the chain opened its first store in Massachusetts this year. Aldi hopes to expand into Texas in 2010.

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MATTHEWS, N.C. - Discount retailer Family Dollar Stores Inc. said Thursday its same-store sales rose 6.2 percent during its fiscal third-quarter, and said based on the results it would meet or beat the high end of its earnings outlook.

The Matthews, N.C., company said net sales for the period ended May 30 rose 8.2 percent to $1.84 billion from $1.7 billion last year.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected third-quarter revenue of $1.86 billion.

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(RTTNews) - Village Super Market, Inc. (VLGEA: News ) reported Wednesday an increase in third-quarter profit, helped by a 7.3% growth in same store sales.

For the third quarter, net income increased 27% to $6.2 million from $4.9 million in the corresponding quarter last year. Net income per Class A common stock rose to $0.47 from $0.37, while net income per Class B common stock increased to $0.37 from $0.30 in the same period last year.

Sales for the quarter increased 7.3% to $293.5 million from $273.4 million. Same store sales also grew 7.3%, due to higher sales from Franklin and Galloway stores, which were opened in fiscal 2008. In the third quarter of fiscal 2008, same store sales increased 0.4%.

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Arts and crafts retailer Michaels Stores Inc. improved its performance for the first quarter of 2009, posting net income of $4 million, a big jump up from the company’s $20 million net loss in showed for the first quarter of 2008.

During that period in 2008, the Irving-based company faced non-deductible severance costs that negatively impacted its 2008 effective tax expense rate.

For the first quarter of 2009, total sales at Michaels Inc. reached $852 million, up from $847 million a year earlier.

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Dollar General Corp. earnings soared in its first quarter compared to the same period a year ago.

The Goodlettsville-based discount retailer, which has been privately held for two years, reported net income of $83 million in the quarter ended May 1, compared to $5.9 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue came in at $2.78 billion in the 2009 first quarter, up 15.7 percent from the previous year’s quarterly peformance of $2.4 billion. Same-store sales increased 13.3 percent for the quarter, with increased customer traffic and a higher average transaction per customer.

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There's some good news for shoppers; retail spaces left vacant by Gottschalks will be filled by some fashion favorites!

Retail giant Macy's, made the winning bid on Gottschalks locations in River Park and the Visalia Mall in an auction on Thursday as part of the bankruptcy proceedings.

Forever 21 also made a bid, landing Gottschalk's locations in the Hanford Mall as well as Fashion Fair Mall.

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Giant Food, the region's dominant grocer, said Thursday it had the highest sales growth in many years as it started to see the results of store renovations, lower prices and more people eating at home. The Landover-based grocer reported a first quarter sales increase of 3.6 percent, despite lower pharmacy sales.

The results were included in a first quarter earnings report issued by Giant's parent company, Dutch grocer Ahold. Ahold said in the release that Giant's sales in combination with the sales of its sister company, Massachusetts-based Stop & Shop, helped the company gain market share in what has become an increasingly competitive grocery market.

Operating income at the two grocers was $242 million, an increase of $40 million from a year ago.

May 28 (Reuters) - Discount-store operator Fred's Inc (FRED.O) posted an 18 percent rise in quarterly profit as lower expenses offset a slight dip in sales, and forecast a bigger second-quarter profit.

Fred's, which sells household cleaning supplies, health and beauty aids, paper products and beverages among other items, earned $8.6 million, or 21 cents a share, compared with $7.3 million or 18 cents a share, a year earlier.

Sales for the quarter ended May 2 were $458.4 million.

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Hudson-based Jo-Ann Stores Inc., the nation's largest fabrics and crafts retailer, reported that profits for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 soared 187 percent to $8.6 million, or 33 cents per diluted share, compared to $3.0 million, or 12 cents per diluted share, for the first quarter of fiscal 2009.

That $8.6 million includes a $700,000 after-tax gain, or 3 cents per share, from the company's purchase of senior subordinated notes. Without that gain, profit for the quarter would have been $7.9 million, or 30 cents per diluted share.

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