Retail briefs

Family Dollar Stores, Inc., a North Carolina-based discount store chain, opened 34 stores during the five-week period ended April 3. The company now operates 5,207 stores.

The 34 newest store locations are in the following states: six in Michigan; four in Florida; three in Texas; two each in Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio and South Carolina; one each in Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia and West Virginia.

Gottschalks Inc. has launched its Bridal & Gift Registry system, which may be used to register and purchase gifts for weddings, baby showers, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and other events.

The system provides hand-held scanners to create registries in store. It is integrated with the company's Web site, allowing registrants to create and update their registry online, while at the same time enabling guests to view and purchase from the online registry.

Jim Famalette, president and CEO of Gottschalks, said, "Our goal was to create an easy, customer-friendly online gift registry system, that provided all the benefits of integrated technology, while continuing to offer the one on one customer service in store that our customers expect at Gottschalks."

Lowe's Companies, Inc. has devised a succession plan under which company president Robert Niblock has been named chairman and CEO-elect, until the planned retirement of Robert Tillman scheduled for Jan. 28, 2005. Niblock was also named to Lowe's board of directors.

"Robert Niblock is an excellent leader and my natural successor at Lowe's," said Tillman. "I have full confidence in his ability to build on our success and take this company to its next level of growth and development."

Niblock was appointed president of Lowe's on March 1, 2003. He joined the company in 1993 and served as executive vice president and chief financial officer before becoming president.

As part of its ongoing restructuring, The Spiegel Group has directed Miller Buckfire Lewis Ying & Co. to solicit parties interested in acquiring its Eddie Bauer business.

Bill Kosturos, interim CEO and chief restructuring officer of The Spiegel Group, said, "During the past 12 months, we have taken targeted actions to strengthen Eddie Bauer's financial performance, closing underperforming stores and streamlining the organization, and we are pleased with the profitable financial results. We will evaluate the level of interest from potential buyers as we continue to work to develop a plan of reorganization."