Same-store sales were bad, but they weren't disastrous, considering some of the comps that other retailers have reported. For the quarter, same-store sales went up 1%. For the year, they were flat.

Overall, it was an okay quarter relatively speaking, nothing special, certainly. Dress Barn must put measures in place that will increase traffic and average sales per transaction, but management did recently make a move to expand shareholder value over time. Back in June, Dress Barn announced that it will acquire Tween Brands (NYSE: TWB) via a stock-for-stock transaction.

It's an interesting strategy. The company obviously believes that going after a younger demographic will help stimulate growth. I think it will end up adding new marketing opportunities, but there's always risk when getting involved with the fickle audience that Tween Brands caters to. No mater what, though, this transaction now forms the heart of the Dress Barn story. In many respects, the numbers from the latest quarter just aren't as informative as this major corporate event.

Shares of Dress Barn sold off in yesterday's after-hours session by well over 3%. I'm not sure where it will settle during Thursday's session, but I believe the company could be a trade on a pullback. From a more fundamental perspective, I would probably look at stronger retail brands before Dress Barn. If you did own shares of Tween Brands before the announcement of the purchase, I'm going to assume that you no longer own them, because there is absolutely no reason to own them now. Profits should have been taken and moved elsewhere.

Disclosure: I don't own any company mentioned; positions can change without notice.