With an unprecedented spurt in online shopping, Big Lots Inc . ( BIG ) has been focusing on its omnichannel capabilities to generate incremental sales. Although these won't be fully operational before the end of 2015, we believe that the company, which is already on a turnaround mode, will get an added boost from these initiatives.

As per recent trends observed over the Thanksgiving weekend, online sales have increased considerably. Moreover, with the rise of online retailers like Amazon.com Inc. ( AMZN ) and considerable development in the digital portals of other mass merchandisers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ( WMT ) and Target Corp. ( TGT ), competition is getting increasingly tough. Hence, need for an online portal is a must for Big Lots.

Nevertheless, we continue to believe that Big Lots' turnaround initiatives will help the retailer to hold its ground. The company, after pulling out of the unprofitable Canadian terrain, has resorted to extensive cost-cutting. Moreover, it is focusing on three important categories - food, furniture and consumables -- to drive up comps. All these categories have displayed increases in past couple of quarters, which makes these substantially profitable options.

In addition, the company has completed the roll out of furniture financing to 1,300 stores and has expanded the assortment in this category by including lawn and garden items, such as patio furniture, gazebos and gas grills, and brand new assortment of fireplaces for the winter.

Management is also adding more brands to its food and consumables categories. The company has revamped its food department by giving it a fresh look for the convenience of customers. Also, the company has been actively rolling out cooler/freezer facility to expand merchandise of food-related items to target food stamp recipients.

In the third- quarter, the company completed the roll out of the facility to 750 stores, to benefit from the crucial holiday season. The company will hold the process over the holiday season and plans to roll out the facility to another 500 stores in fiscal 2015.

The initiatives have resulted in the company witnessing comps growth for 3 successive quarters after seeing decline for 8 consecutive quarters. Comps for the quarter were up 1.4% following a 1.7% and a 0.9% rise in the trailing two quarters, respectively.

Currently, Big Lots' carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

BIG LOTS INC (BIG): Free Stock Analysis Report

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Will Omnichannel Accelerate Big Lots' Turnaround Pace? - Analyst Blog

Published: Monday, December 15, 2014 at 10:44 p.m. Last Modified: Monday, December 15, 2014 at 10:44 p.m.

The Terrebonne Parish Council upheld its reputation for strict application of laws regarding servitudes and rights of way.

During tonights committee meetings, the council rejected the third request for a variance from Houma resident Michael Nguyen.

For months, Nguyen has sought a variance to build a gazebo in a drainage retention pond behind his home on Port Royal Way in the Westgate Subdivision. Since the gazebo would obstruct the parish servitude, the parish zoning board denied his request for a construction permit.

In Nguyens past attempts, the parish cited its zero tolerance policy regarding variances unless some sort of extreme hardship existed. Parish officials said the servitude is necessary for the parish to maintain the drainage pond.

Nguyen addressed the council to again plead his case on grounds that there have already been several docks, decks and gazebos built in or around parish waterways.

Bulkheads are also technically illegal because theyre located within a servitude. Yet bulkheads are allowed in our parish every single day. But my structure is not. Thats a double-standard and, simply put, unfair, Nguyen said.

Nguyen also said the maintenance issue is overstated because in the 10 years since the pond was built it had not yet been cleaned. To help his case, Nguyen requested signatures of support from each of the residents of his neighborhood as well as the one adjacent to it.

Cumulatively, I have over 95 percent combined support signatures, Nguyen said. The people have spoken. Your fellow citizens have spoken. If theres a time to represent the people, there could not be a better time for the council than right now.

Parish officials disagreed.

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Council rejects Houma resident's request to build on servitude

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The holidays are upon us.Whether you are looking for something to light up your holiday spirit or just want to have fun, this list will help you enjoy the most of what DFW has to offer. The 12 Days of ChristmasDallas Arboretum 8525 Garland Rd. Dallas, TX 75218 (214) 515-6615 http://www.dallasarboretum.org

Date: Through Jan. 4, 2015

The 12 Days of Christmas is a brand new exhibit at the Dallas Arboretum. The exhibit, which features a collection of three-dimensional, life-size gazebos with Victorian-era characters, can be viewed during the day or at night when the gazebos are lighted. Special weekend visits by Santa, his reindeer including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman are sure to make this event a holiday favorite.

The Trains at North ParkNorthPark Center, Level One 8687 N Central Expy. Dallas,TX75225 (214) 631-7354 http://www.thetrainsatnorthpark.com

Date: Now through Jan. 4, 2015

Known for its elaborate track layout, The Trains at NorthPark exhibit gets better and better every year. The train layout includes 1,600 feet of track and steam engines that roll across America. Dallas is well represented with special points of interest being downtown Dallas, the State Fair of Texas, the Cotton Bowl and, newly added, the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Other stops on the trains travel include The White House in Washington, D.C., the Grand Canyon, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, New York Citys Times Square and Grand Central Station. Train lovers of all ages will enjoy more than 4,000 square feet of themed holiday scenery. Proceeds from the ticket sales benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Dallas.

Related:Best Places In DFW To Give Back This Holiday Season

Dallas Symphony Christmas PopsMorton H. Meyerson Symphony Center 2301 Flora St. Dallas, TX 75201 (214) 692-0203 http://www.mydso.com

Date: Now through Dec. 21, 2014

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Best 2014 Holiday Events In DFW

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Members of a Hindu temple are suing Monroeville after council members denied the temples bid to build a larger structure on its sloping property.

In November, Monroeville council voted, 3-2, with one member abstaining, against allowing excavation necessary for the Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple Inc. to build a two-story temple building of about 13,000 square feet on what municipal officials said is a steeply sloped, landslide-prone property on Abers Creek Road. The appeal, filed Thursday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on behalf of the temple, asked the court to overturn councils decision.

Tom Ayoob, an attorney for the temple, said in the lawsuit that the action by Monroeville council members who, he says, rejected their own engineering, planning and development staff members opinions that the project would comply with zoning ordinances under certain conditions is arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, contrary to law and not supported by the facts in the record.

Council members did approve the projects site plan.

Mr. Ayoob could not be reached for further comment Friday. Neither could Bruce Dice, the attorney representing Monroeville in the case, Monroeville municipal manager Timothy Little, or temple president Panduranga Rao Malyala.

Most of the 36.6-acre lot, which is zoned for single-family residential construction and for conservancy, has slopes in excess of 25 percent with about seven acres of the property containing slopes of more than 40 percent. Monroevilles planning commission had recommended approval for the conditional use applications, which would require clear-cutting the hillside and excavating nearly 25,000 cubic yards of earth for site preparation and temple construction.

In addition to the new building, temple officials want to construct a 1,466-square-foot addition, a 264-square-foot connecting wing and four gazebos. The addition would contain worship facilities, an office, meditation areas and a kitchen.

After council voted Nov. 11 to deny the project, Mr. Little wrote a letter to Mr. Malyala in which he stated the proposed development is located in the general area of landslide prone soils and relatively steep slopes that could potentially have an adverse effect to the abutting residential property and structures.

Amy McConnell Schaarsmith: aschaarsmith@post-gazette.com.

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(KRLD) The holiday season is in full swing across the metroplex! Tasha Stevens brings you a number of great events to check out this weekend!

You dig the guy for his great tunes and now you can see his art work. Reflections: The Mick Fleetwood Collection begins Thursday and runs through Saturday at Samuel Lynne Galleries on Dragon Street in the Dallas Design District.

It is the season of giving, and I cant think of anything better than giving to the Christmas is for Childrens Radiothon. Thursday and Friday, you can call 800-800-7277 or go to KLUV.comto donate. All the money raised stays right here in North Texas, and supports the Childrens Research Institute and its pursuit of new treatments and cures.

The Dallas Arboretum has a brand new way to experience the Christmas favorite 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS. See 12 elaborately decorated 25-foot gazebos that each have holiday music and mechanical movement. Therell be special illuminated showings of the gazebos Sundays through Thursdays that also feature Victorian-inspired carolers and holiday refreshments.

The Home for the Holidays Custom Doghouses exhibit at Northpark Center has the coolest of the cool dog pads which will be raffled off with tickets available for $5 each or five raffle tickets for $20. One of the doghouses will be named Top Dog as the most popular based on ticket sales.

You can celebrate the holiday season at Sea Life Aquarium with the Octonauts, the team of undersea adventure heroes from the animated TV show. Each weekend, the kids will have the chance to meet Captain Barnacles, and watch special Octonauts holiday-themed episodes in the Cinema.

A German Christmas can be found at The 2014 Texas Christkindl Market in Arlington. Now through December 21, this 4th annual market will give you a chance to experience an outdoor family market in the tradition of those held throughout Germany during the Christmas season. Just think Oktoberfest in December.

If you are looking to enjoy some Christmas lights, and check out some homes you probably wont ever be able to afford, drive over to the vicinity of Armstrong Parkway and Preston Road in Highland Park for a slew of Christmas lights. The area south of Preston and Mockingbird offer even more lights if you are that hardcore. If you dont want to drive, you can take a carriage ride.

The Christmas Tour of Lights in Farmers Branch is another area you need to check out to get into the holiday spirit. The route begins at Interstate 35E at Valley View Lane and continues to the Farmers Branch Historical Park, where youll find Santa Claus and a nightly light show.

The Deerfield neighborhood in Plano light display is traditionally one of Collin Countys biggest, covering a large area north of Legacy Drive between Preston and Coit roads. Something else really coolyou can make a reservation for a carriage ride through the neighborhood.

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Tashas To Do List: Dec. 11-14

Step out into one of two outdoor courtyards at Pocahontas Elementary School and the sight is basically the same four brick walls and some concrete, benches and bushes.

But a group of teachers, parents and volunteers plan to make the courtyards more than just a place to walk through or step outside for a breath of fresh air.

They are working to transform the spaces into outdoor classrooms that foster learning, a sense of responsibility and fun for students in a way that adds to what they already are experiencing in their classrooms, Deborah Putney, third grade STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) teacher, said.

"We have been trying for 15 years to get this project off the ground," she said. "Our point was we had this beautiful courtyard out here with usable space but plants that werent usable."

The courtyards have been kept up and are a great space, but they have never been really accessible to children or used for teaching purposes before, Ella Helms, assistant principal, said.

"I thought it would be a great space to actually use for a classroom," she said.

The Outdoor Classroom Project committee isnt limiting the project to a few flower beds, Dan Hymel, project manager, said. The scope of the project includes different zones with features such as ponds, gazebos, a weather station, live animals and gardens.

The committee formed this year and has steadily built steam as members worked out details and gained the approval of school officials, he said.

Now they are ready to act by taking out the old and preparing the space for the new, he said.

The school district had trees that hindered the plans removed on Friday, Nov. 28, he said. The trees root systems, which go under the buildings, werent removed entirely, so plans for the next few years in those areas will have to focus on the surface.

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School takes learning to open air classroom

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Gearing up for the Inglewood night market are:, Luis Stojkovic and his wife Cristina, local butcher Vince Garreffa and Diana Lopez, owner of the Lucky 7 Deli. Picture: Nic Ellis

It's one of the first signs that a Perth summer is well and truly in full swing.

The suburbs become a hub of multicoloured lights and decorated gazebos and the air is filled with the light smoke from freshly cooked street food.

For Inglewood business owner Vince Garreffa, a wander through the street markets on a balmy summer night conjures up memories of overseas holidays and the enjoyment of tasting local produce straight off the grill.

It is this atmosphere the butcher wants to recreate when Beaufort Street, Inglewood, is closed for the first of its weekly night markets on Monday.

Mr Garreffa said twilight markets, which were once a rarity, had become a summer staple for Perth locals in recent years and were equally popular with tourists.

Demand has seen more than a dozen evening markets held around Perth during summer, some spanning well past the busy Christmas period.

"People travel these days. They go all over the world and if it's one thing that almost everyone does, it's going to the markets, be it a poor or rich market," Mr Garreffa said. "It helps people connect with the real food of the area."

Food stalls at the inaugural markets will have a distinct international feel, with vendors selling Italian, Greek, Mexican and Colombian foods, as well traditional Australian burgers.

Mr Garreffa said organisers were keen to see the eastern Perth suburb gain a reputation for being something more than the poor cousin of its better-known neighbour Mt Lawley.

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Markets bring streets alive

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