The Wall Street Journal reports Mercedes-Benz is considering bringing a luxury pickup truck to the U.S. If the vehicle comes here (it’s a definite ‘go’ for Europe) it would compete in the midsize segment with models such as the Toyota Tacoma, Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, and Nissan Frontier……Winnebago sales rose, but some labor issues and higher expenses caused a decline in profit for the quarter that ended in February. Motorhome revenue was up 2.4%, and sales of towable units were up 12%. Bookings of motorized unit jumped 59% contributing to a healthy backlog……Belk department stores had a strong holiday quarter with same-store sales up 2.4% and online sales up 42%, helping bring about an 8.4% increase in profit. Belk will open two new stores this year, in Bristol, TN and Jacksonville ……GameStop will open 350-550 stores for its technology brands segment under the banners of Simply Mac, Cricket, and Spring Mobile, while closing about 200 of its 6000 GameStop locations. The company had mixed results in the latest quarter: mobile, consumer electronics and new software were all up, but a decrease in new hardware sales brought about an overall 1.8% same-store sales decrease……Five Below is also in the mood to grow. It expects to open about 70 new stores this year, up from 62 last year. Fiscal fourth quarter same-store sales were up 3.2% (which was actually a bit behind the previous nine months) and full year comps ended up at plus 3.4%. But counting the new stores, full year revenue was up an impressive 27% and profit grew 31%……Upscale retailer Restoration Hardware has been working on replacing mall stores with larger showrooms, and had a very strong quarter. Both same-store sales and total sales were up 24%, and the company felt the West Coast port problems were a factor then, and still will be a factor in the current quarter……With the food business now being closely watched for any more possible consolidations, ConAgra had better-than-expected results even though it took a large writedown on the Ralcorp private-label manufacturing business it bought two years ago. Marketwatch says the manufacturer of brands such as Chef Boyardee, Hebrew National, and Pam has been improving market share while contending with weak consumer demand……Aldi has completed the deal to take over 66 Bottom Dollar food stores that had been owned by Delhaize. About half of them will be converted to the Aldi banner with the remaining locations to be evaluated for a possible sale or sublease……Fortune reports Walmart is offering $10 off the first $50 order for people who try its online food ordering system, in test in a few markets. Orders are not delivered—customers have to go to a store to pick up what they have bought.

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