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Chicago -- Claire's Stores reported Thursday that net income for the quarter ended Jan. 28 rose to $39.5 million, from $21 million in the year-ago period. Sales edged up 3.1% to $434.9 million, compared with $422 million last year. Same-store sales rose 0.9%, consisting of a 3.4% increase in North America and a 3.6% decrease in Europe.

Maxine Clark, the 63-year-old founder of Build-A-Bear, was always a shopper, even as a kid. So it made sense that she would wind up in retail. Clark eventually made it to the top as president of Payless ShoeSource. But the job wasn't enough. The spark was gone, she said. She left in 1996.

It seems impossible to believe now, but Sam Walton once had Kmart envy. The legendary founder of what's now earth's largest retailer was so envious of his competitor that he would tour its stores, openly gushing. 

The initial response to firearm maker Glock's "Glock Perform" apparel collection suggests the brand extension is lacking performance. The Glock online store already offers a number of apparel choices, including sweatshirts, hats, jackets and T-shirts. But the new Glock Perform line is facing two major problems. The first was pure execution. While the items themselves were not a bargain priced between $20 and $45, it was the shipping that got Glock consumers fired up.

Philadelphia -- A Wednesday report by Reuters said that discounter Five Below is said to be considering an initial public offering. The report, citing unnamed sources, said that the Advent International- and LLR Partners-owned chain has hired underwriters and is in discussions with bankers. Five Below is in a growth mode and could potentially command a market valuation of over $1 billion.

Home improvement store Lowe's has a new 30-second ad called Coloring Book, which imagines a house in the pages with decorations and fixtures that become real as its inhabitants draw their ideas on the paper.

It seems even high prices at the pump can't keep the Easter Bunny away this year.  According to NRF's Easter spending survey, Americans will shell out an average of $145.28 on everything from apparel and candy to food and decorations this year, up 11 percent from $131.04 last year.

J.C. Penney is running mobile ads inside the Hulu Plus iPhone application that let users shop via the retailer's mobile site. The J.C. Penney ads promote the company's new month-long sales that are part of a larger rebranding move.

It's kind of fun to think of a teenaged Ellen DeGeneres working an after-school mall job at the local J.C. Penney, no? As the new spokeswoman for the chain, DeGeneres put together this clever advertorial which films her return to her former place of employment: the Penney's in her hometown of Metairie, Louisiana.

/PRNewswire/ -- Overstock.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSTK) today announced it has hired Timothy Dilworth, a former executive of Coldwater Creek, as the company's senior vice president of marketing. (Logo: photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120110/LA33954LOGO) The company said Dilworth will be responsible for defining and driving all marketing activities across the Overstock.com organization. "We're very pleased to welcome Tim to the Overstock.com team," said Patrick Byrne, chairman and CEO of Overstock.com. "Given Tim's background and experience, we expect he will make an enormous contribution to our company." Dilworth has worked for Coldwater Creek since 2000 in various positions within the company's marketing group and last