Saturday, October 4, 2014

Best Retail Companies To Watch For 2014

On Monday, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (NASDAQ: CBRL  ) will release its latest quarterly results. But with the stock having recently hit all-time record highs, can the restaurant chain's earnings deliver enough to justify its stock's performance?

If you've ever taken a road trip, you've probably seen plenty of Cracker Barrel locations along the way, as the company has more than 600 locations across the nation. What sets Cracker Barrel apart from most chains is the fact that it has gift shops connected to its restaurants, combining a retail business with its primary food exposure. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Cracker Barrel over the past quarter, and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report.

Stats on Cracker Barrel

Analyst EPS Estimate

$0.94

Change From Year-Ago EPS

Top 5 Railroad Companies To Invest In Right Now: Destination XL Group Inc (DXLG)

Destination XL Group, Inc., formerly Casual Male Retail Group, Inc., incorporated in 1976, is a specialty retailer of big and tall men�� apparel with retail operations in the United States and London, England and direct businesses throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Its direct business includes several catalogs and e-commerce sites, which supports its brands and product extensions. As of January 28, 2012, it operated 360 Casual MaleXL retail stores, 60 Casual MaleXL outlet stores, 16 DestinationXL stores and 14 Rochester Clothing stores. During the third quarter of fiscal 2011, the Company launched its new DestinationXL e-commerce site which, similar to its DXL store concept, brings all of its existing websites together, making it easier for its customer to shop the full array of product selection that it have to offer from all of its brands with the ease of one shopping cart. Full product assortments from Casual MaleXL, Rochester Clothing, ShoesXL and LivingXL can be found at www.destinationxl.com. In addition to its e-commerce and catalog businesses, it operated 7 international Web stores serving twenty-six European countries during fiscal 2011.

Casual MaleXL Outlet

The Company�� 60 Casual MaleXL outlet stores, with their supporting direct business, B&T Factory Direct, generates approximately 12% of the Company's business. It offers a private-label program, specifically for its Casual MaleXL outlet stores and its B&T Factory Direct businesses, which is similar to its lifestyle private label lines found in its full-price retail stores but made at lower costs and sold at lower price points for its value-oriented customers. It carries Canyon Ridge, which is similar in style to its Harbor Bay product line, 555 Turnpike, which is targeted towards its younger customers, and Fuse, a contemporary line similar in style to its Synrgy product line Traveler Technology is a traditional line similar to its Gold Series.

Casual MaleXL Retail

Th! e Casual Male business offers a selection of sportswear, dress clothing, footwear and accessories for the big and tall customer at moderate prices. Its full-price Casual Male merchandise is sold through its 360 Casual MaleXL retail stores, Casual MaleXL catalogs and e-commerce site. The majority of the Casual Male merchandise is basic or fashion-neutral items, such as jeans, casual slacks, tee-shirts, polo shirts, dress shirts and suit separates. Casual Male�� clothing has features specifically designed for its customer, such as waist-relaxer pants, stretch belts, zipper ties, wide band socks, neck-relaxer shirts and clothing with comfort-stretch technology and reinforced stress points. In addition to its many private label lines, it carry several well-known brands of merchandise including: Polo Ralph Lauren, Nautica, Geoffrey Beene, Nautica Jeans Co., Levi��, Dockers, Calvin Klein, Reebok and

Rochester Clothing

At January 28, 2012, it operated 14 Rochester Clothing stores, located in major cities throughout the United States and one store in London, EnglandAn important element to the Company's business is its high-end, luxury fashion apparel offered by Rochester Clothing. Its Rochester Clothing stores carry a selection of apparel, at higher price points, from branded manufacturers, such as Polo Ralph Lauren, Robert Graham, Lacoste, Facconable, DKNY, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Brioni, Cutter and Buck, Tommy Bahama, Tommy Hilfilger, Thomas Dean, Paul & Shark and others. The Rochester customer is able to find a range of apparel from traditional and modern sportswear to suits and accessories.

B&T Factory Direct

The Company�� B&T Factory Direct Web store enhances its existing Casual MaleXL outlet stores. The merchandise offered in its B&T Factory Direct catalogs and on its Website is a selection but similar to the merchandise that can be found in its Casual MaleXL outlet stores. In addition, B&T Factory Direct often features a special clearance o! pportunit! ies of product and provides opportunities of product obtained from Casual MaleXL and Rochester Clothing, offering the B&T Factory Direct customer the ability to purchase branded product.

LivingXL

The LivingXL business, which includes its LivingXL Web store and catalogs, specializes in the selling of selected products. The types of products sold on its Website and in its catalogs for both men and women and include chairs, outdoor accessories, travel accessories, bed and bath and fitness equipment.

ShoesXL

Its ShoesXL Web store carries a line of men�� footwear in extended sizes, offering customers a range of footwear. The assortment on ShoesXL is a reflection of its apparel, with an assortment from moderate to luxury and from casual to formal. ShoesXL has a more than 500 styles of shoes, ranging in sizes from 10M to 18M and widths up to 5E. It carries a number of designer brands including Cole Haan, Allen Edmonds, Timberland, Calvin Klein, Lacoste and Bruno Magli. In addition, it has added the expanded shoe assortments within its existing Casual MaleXL and Rochester Clothing catalogs.

Destination

From the DestinationXL homepage, the customers can also search across all of its brands without having to specifically shop Casual Male versus Rochester. By searching for a shirt in their size, DestinationXL provides them product selection from all three of its concepts.

The Company offers selected Casual Male merchandise on their websites at www.Sears.com and www.Sears.ca. It operates 7 online stores for both its Casual MaleXL and Rochester Clothing brands that penetrate 26 European countries, including the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. It engages GSI Commerce, Inc. (GSI) for the design, development and operations of the seven online stores. Subsequent to year end, it decided to discontinue its international Web stores including terminating its contract with GSI.

The Comp! any compe! tes with Wal-Mart, J.C. Penney Company Inc, Kohl�� and Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, SA.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Peter Graham]

    The Q1 2014 earnings report for The Men's Wearhouse, Inc (NYSE: MW), a potential peer of men�� apparel retailers like Destination XL Group Inc (NASDAQ: DXLG) and�Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc (NASDAQ: JOSB), is scheduled for before the market opens on Friday.�Aside from the Men's Wearhouse earnings report, it should be said that Destination XL Group Inc reported Q1 2014 earnings on May 29th (Sales rebounded in April to offset weather impacted business) while�Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc reported Q4 2013 earnings on April 2nd�with Q1 2014 earnings expected on Friday. I should mention though that The Men's Wearhouse is acquiring Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc���a deal recently approved of by the FTC. The merger creates the fourth-largest retailer of menswear, which will have $3.5 billion in�pro forma sales,�1,700 stores and about 23,000 employees.

  • [By Eric Volkman]

    Destination XL (NASDAQ: DXLG  ) results for the company's Q1 have been released. For the quarter, sales were $93.6 million, a decline from the $95.5 million in the same period the previous year. Net income suffered a steeper fall, dropping to just over $1 million ($0.02 per diluted share) from the Q1 2012 result of $2.3 million ($0.05).

Best Retail Companies To Watch For 2014: Axxess Unlimited Inc (AXXU)

Axxess Unlimited, Inc., incorporated on June 8, 2000, is the holding company for the Axxess family of companies. The Axxess family of companies includes both vertically-integrated operating businesses and horizontally-integrated companies with each supported by a common software technology - the Axxess RISE Platform. The Company provides next-generation business intelligence for a range of businesses and organizations. It provides information-driven business solutions through interactive marketing, interactive technologies, application and product development, customer relationship management, business intelligence, portals and collaboration, and infrastructure solutions. Its companies include Axxess Digital (AxxuD), Axxess Apps (AxxuA) and Axxess Brands (AxxuB).

Axxess Digital

AxxuD is an interactive digital agency company. The Company relies on the core logic of the Axxess Unlimited RISE platform.

Axxess Apps

AxxuA is a software development company. The focus of AxxuA includes: enterprise applications, custom applications, cloud applications and mobile applications. The Company has software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions and custom and mobile products available in the government services, automobile dealership, medical and consumer goods sectors.

Axxess Brands

AxxuB is a marketer and manufacturer of specialty brands in better-for-you and indulgent categories under a variety of Company owned and licensed brand names. AxxuB licenses brands and provides outsource management.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By James E. Brumley]

    Even if you're one of the few reading this now, odds are good that you'd still never heard of Axxess Unlimited Inc. (OTCMKTS:AXXU) until the beginning of February. Prior to that, trading in AXXU was thin and uneventful. The evidence? Prior to February 4th, the average daily volume was less than 10,000 shares per day, and had been stuck right around the $0.20 mark since the middle of last year. Since February 4th, though, things have changed for the better. Since then, volume has been considerably stronger, and Axxess Unlimited shares have finally woken up and decided to forge ahead.

  • [By James E. Brumley]

    A week and a half ago, yours truly penned some bullish thoughts on Axxess Unlimited Inc. (OTCMKTS:AXXU). Not too many traders read that take, and/or if they did, they didn't seem to care. The response to the commentary was non-existent (good or bad), and there was no sudden rush to go out and buy AXXU. Today's second look may have a different outcome.

Best Retail Companies To Watch For 2014: Group 1 Automotive Inc. (GPI)

Group 1 Automotive, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the marketing and sale of automotive products and services. It sells new and used cars, light trucks, and vehicle parts. The company also provides vehicle financing services; service and insurance contract services; and automotive maintenance and repair services. The company has operations located in metropolitan areas in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas in the United States; and in the towns of Brighton, Hailsham, and Worthing in the United Kingdom. As of October 25, 2012, it owned and operated 121 automotive dealerships, 158 franchises, and 30 collision centers in the United States and the United Kingdom that offer 32 brands of automobiles. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ning Jia]

    In 2001, Advance Auto Parts acquires Carport Auto Parts, a regional retail chain with 29 stores in Alabama and Mississippi. The combination of Advance and Carport locations establishes Advance Auto Parts as the market leader in Alabama and Mississippi. In November of 2011, Advance acquires 671 Discount Auto Parts, Inc., a regional auto parts chain in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Louisiana. The acquisition strengthens the company's position as the market leader in Florida. Upon completion of this merger, Advance Auto Parts becomes a publicly traded company, listed as a common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AAP. After the Company went public in 2001, AAP continued to expand both organically and through acquisition. On October 16th 2013, Advance Auto Parts entered into a definitive agreement to acquire General Parts International, Inc. (GPI), a leading privately held distributor and supplier of original equipment and aftermarket replacement products for commercial markets operating under the CARQUEST and WORLDPAC brands, in an all-cash transaction with an enterprise value of $2.04 billion. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors for both companies. The deal creates the largest automotive aftermarket parts provider in North America, with annual sales of more than $9.2 billion and more than 70,000 employees.

Best Retail Companies To Watch For 2014: Gamestop Corporation (GME)

GameStop Corp. operates as a retailer of video game products and personal computer (PC) entertainment software. It sells new and used video game hardware; video game software; used video game products; and video game accessories, which primarily consist of controllers, memory cards, and other add-ons, as well as strategy guides and trading cards. The company also offers PC entertainment and other software across various genres, including sports, action, strategy, adventure/role playing, and simulation, as well as products that relate to the digital category comprising network point cards, prepaid digital and online timecards, and digitally downloadable software. GameStop Corp. sells its products through stores, as well as through its electronic commerce Web sites, including gamestop.com, ebgames.com.au, gamestop.ca, gamestop.it, gamestop.es, gamestop.ie, gamestop.de, and micromania.fr. As of July 12, 2011, its retail network and family of brands included 6,573 company-oper ated stores in 17 countries worldwide. The company also publishes Game Informer, a video game magazine in the United States; and operates the online video gaming Web sites kongregate.com and joltonline.com. GameStop Corp. was founded in 1994 and is based in Grapevine, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rick Munarriz]

    Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) has cleared up some details on the way that the Xbox One will work, and it doesn't look good for GameStop (NYSE: GME  ) .

Best Retail Companies To Watch For 2014: Kohl's Corporation(KSS)

Kohl?s Corporation operates department stores in the United States. The company?s stores offer private and exclusive, as well as national branded apparel, footwear, and accessories for women, men, and children; soft home products, such as sheets and pillows; and housewares primarily to middle-income customers. As of January 29, 2011, it operated 1,089 stores in 49 states. The company also offers on-line shopping on its Web site at Kohls.com. Kohl?s Corporation was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Tom Taulli]

    Valuation. JCP is trading at only 0.16 times overall sales — a bargain if you believe in the store’s recovery. This compares to Macy�� (M) and Kohl’s (KSS) at multiples of 0.6.�Something else: JCP still has some heavy-hitters that are long the stock, including George Soros, Richard Perry of Perry Capital and Kyle Bass of Hayman Capital as of the most recent SEC filings.

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