Macy’s reported net income of $181 million ($0.43 Diluted EPS) for the first quarter ended Apr 28, an increase of 38% from the year-ago period. Net sales increased 4.3% to $6.143 billion, while same-store sales rose 4.4%, the 9th straight quarterly gain after 11 consecutive declines. Online sales (macys.com and bloomingdales.com combined) were up 33.7% in the quarter, positively affecting the company’s same-store sales by 1.5 percentage points. CEO Terry J. Lundgren said “The momentum in our business at Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s continued to build in the first quarter, with sales and earnings that exceeded our expectations going into the year. The quarterly data clearly demonstrates the strength of our results as we continue to implement our key strategies – My Macy’s merchandise localization; omnichannel integration of stores, online and mobile; and MAGIC Selling for enhanced customer engagement,” The company continues to expect same-store sales to grow by approximately 3.5% for the remainder of the year. When added to the first quarter’s reported results, same-store sales growth for fiscal 2012 as a whole now is expected to be approximately 3.7% – slightly higher than previous guidance for a same-stores sales increase of approximately 3.5%. The company reiterated its guidance for earnings per diluted share of $3.25 to $3.30 for the full year.