News Briefs

A new study reveals that retail breaches are an almost universal industry problem.

 Nearly all (97%) of the top 100 U.S. retailers experienced a third-party data breach in the past year, according to analysis from security services provider SecurityScorecard. While only 12% of retailers (including each of the top 20 U.S. retailers) were directly breached, these intrusions resulted from security compromises at 4% of retail vendors, indicating a single vendor cyberattack can affect large numbers of their retail clients.

In addition, 97% of the top 100 U.S. retailers suffered a fourth-party breach (resulting from a compromise at a vendor of a vendor) from just 2% of vendors.

"In the hustle to keep up with holiday sales, retailers must not let their guard down," said Ryan Sherstobitoff, senior VP of threat research and intelligence, SecurityScorecard. "Cybercriminals are lurking, ready to exploit any distraction. A single data breach could devastate a company’s bottom line and irreparably damage consumer trust. It’s imperative to prioritize security — not just for themselves, but for their vendors as well."

To help prevent third-party data breaches, SecurityScorecard advises retailers take steps including implementing automated scanning to detect IT infrastructure and cybersecurity risks across vendor and partner environments, mapping critical business processes and technologies to identify any single points of failure, passively monitoring vendors’ IT deployments to identify and resolve hidden risks, and scrutinizing external technology supporting e-commerce websites.

[READ MORE: The average cost of a retail data breach is…]

SecurityScorecard researchers analyzed the 100 top U.S. retailers based on 2023 worldwide retail sales, assessing over 14,000 domains, including third- and fourth-party vendors.

One-third of the U.S. retail workforce is not given a dedicated mobile device today, with the largest retailers being least likely to give each employee a device for their exclusive use.

That's according to a new  study conducted for Zebra Technologies by Coresight Research, which found that 34% of U.S. retail employees, or 7.7 million associates in all, lack mobile devices for their exclusive use.

The report, "Success at Hand: Equipping Frontline Workers with More Mobile Devices to Drive Revenue and Delight Customers,"  indicates that 40% of employees working for large retailers either have to share a mobile device or go without one. Mass merchandisers and companies with over $1 billion in revenue ranked above average in terms of the proportion of workers without their own mobile devices at their companies.

Those who work in store operations (42%), merchandising (37%) or on the store floor (34%) are the least likely to have dedicated devices even though they are often considered to be among the most mobile-dependent team members and highly influence shopper satisfaction ratings.

The percentage of employees at surveyed U.S. retail organizations who do not use mobile devices varies by business function:

• Store operations 42%.
• Merchandising 37%.
• Store floor 34%.
• Field mobility and operations 34%.
• Warehouse operations 31%.
• Inventory management 30%.
• Ominchannel and fulfillment operations 29%.
• Checkout experience 29%.

U.S. retailers not equipping their employees with mobile devices provided the following reasons (more than one reason accepted):

• Skills and talent shortage 35%.
• Data and security concerns 31%.
• Vendor lock-in and standards 29%.
• Management approval and support 28%.
• Technical issues and maintenance 28%.
• Cost of implementation 27%.
• ROI uncertainty 26%.
• Insufficient IT infrastructure 25%.
• Complexity of integration 25%.
• Resistance from employees 23%.

When asked what benefits they would expect to receive from equipping employees with mobile devices, respondents ranked improved employee satisfaction, improved operational efficiency, and better customer satisfaction as the top three. 

Respondents also rated increased efficiency of daily operational tasks, enhanced communication between staff members, and integration of various payment methods as the top three workflows that would benefit from mobile enablement.

“Most people are accustomed to always having mobile devices in their hands,” said Deborah Weinswig, CEO, Coresight Research. "When they don’t have one, workers feel disconnected from the people, tools, and information they rely on to do their jobs well."

Coresight Research conducted three online surveys of decision-makers at US-based retailers on behalf of Zebra Technologies between November 2022 and July 2024. Image courtesy of Ground Picture.

MG2 is expanding its services and increasing its footprint.

The global architecture and design firm MG2 has joined Colliers Engineering & Design, a division of the global commercial real estate and investment management firm Colliers. The partnership will allow MG2 to expand its geographic reach and add expertise in building systems and structural engineering, site development, civil engineering  and construction management.

MG2's current leaders will become senior partners within Colliers Engineering & Design, maintaining the company’s leadership structure and culture. MG2 will be rebranded at a future date.

“Joining a complementary professional practice with Collier’s Engineering & Design’s resources and expertise enables us take advantage of growth opportunities in the market immediately and maintain the pace of our strategic plan,” said MG2 CEO and chairman Mitch Smith, AIA, LEED AP. “Our greatest strength lies in our people, our clients, and our commitment to helping them succeed. This strategic step with Colliers Engineering & Design offers opportunities for our people to do their best work.”

MG2 has more than 400 architects, designers, and staff operating across seven offices in the U.S. and China: Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Irvine, Calif.; Minneapolis; Washington, D.C.; New York City; and Shanghai.  

Colliers Engineering & Design, headquartered in Holmdel, N.J., is a privately held company with 75-plus offices throughout the U.S. 

“We are thrilled to have MG2 join our team,” said Colliers Engineering & Design president and CEO Kevin L. Haney, PE. “Collier’s Engineering & Design invests in relationships to promote sustained growth and success, and this agreement will enable us to continue to drive market growth as a top-tier national commercial industry leader, provide clients with exceptional commercial design services, and accelerate communities nationwide.”

Academy Sports + Outdoors continues to grow its footprint.

The sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer is wrapping up 2024 by opening five new stores, including two locations in Florida, in Bradenton and Yulee. Academy is also opening in Searcy, Ark.; Meridian, Miss.; and Corsicana, Texas. As part of its commitment and investment in these local communities, Academy donated more than $25,000 in total to local non-profit organizations.

“Just in time for the holidays, Academy Sports + Outdoors is excited to provide more customers with a new destination to find a localized assortment of gifts and merchandise that help their family and friends have fun out there," said Eric Friederich, senior VP of retail operations at Academy Sports + Outdoors. "These new stores are enabling us to grow.”

With the five new locations, Academy will have opened 16 new stores across 10 different states, including its first locations in Ohio, in 2024, giving it a total of 298 stores across 19 states. The expansion comes as the retailer is looking to open 160 to 180 new stores during the next five years.

Academy stores feature apparel, footwear, sports and camping equipment, hunting and fishing gear, outdoor cooking and more from top national brands as well as the chain’s private label brands. In addition, Academy offers free services such as grill and bike assembly, scope mounting, bore sighting, line winding/spooling and propane exchange. Hunting and fishing licenses are also available to purchase in stores.

Simon Property Group is reporting a successful Black Friday weekend at its properties nationwide.

The nation's largest owner and manager of shopping, dining, entertainment and mixed-used destinations said it experienced a 6.4% increase in year-over-year traffic at its shopping centers over Black Friday weekend. Year-over-year traffic was up 5.9% on Black Friday and grew throughout the weekend, with a 6.3% increase on Saturday and an 8.2% increase on Sunday. (Data is verified by traffic counters deployed at Simon centers, the company stated.)

The growth was experienced across all of Simon's platforms, with malls up 7.1% over the weekend compared to last year.

"On Black Friday and throughout the weekend, we saw even more evidence of what we already knew: Malls are thriving," said David Simon, chairman, CEO, and president of Simon. "Popular brands throughout our portfolio reported double-digit sales increases over the weekend compared to last year. Coast to coast, we saw lines prior to opening and throughout the day at many of our centers across the country. We look forward to a continued strong holiday season."

While Simon’s properties had a successful weekend, in-store shopping as a whole appeared to take a dip, according to preliminary analysis by Sensormatic Solutions. Shopper traffic on Black Friday was down 8.2% compared to 2023, and U.S. shopper visits were down 3.9% from Nov. 24 through Nov. 29, in line with the in-store traffic trends seen year-to-date.

[READ MORE: Simon targets Gen Z with influencer campaign]

Simon’s data is verified by traffic counters deployed at Simon centers. The company operates shopping, dining, entertainment and mixed-use destinations with properties across North America, Europe and Asia.

Black Friday continued to reign as one of the biggest shopping days of the season. 

Total U.S. retail sales (excluding automotive but including restaurants) on Black Friday rose 3.4% over last year, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which measures in-store and online retail sales representing all payment types and is not adjusted for inflation. Online retail sales increased 14.6%, while in-store sales inched up 0.7% compared to Black Friday last year.

Jewelry, electronics and apparel remain the top gift sectors for the holidays, with particular strength in e-commerce for apparel on Black Friday. To complete the outfit, spending on footwear is tracking stronger than last year at this time.

Grocery spending saw growth during the holidays as consumers feasted at home in the two weeks leading up to Black Friday. Restaurant spending on Black Friday showed particular strength.

By region, Mastercard  saw spending outperform in pockets of the country, including Massachusetts, Washington D.C. and Colorado.

Mastercard SpendingPulse measures national retail sales based on aggregated and anonymized Mastercard insights, representing all payment types in select markets around the world.

Mastercard SpendingPulse defines “U.S. retail sales” as sales at retailers and food services merchants of all sizes. Sales activity within the services sector (for example, travel services such as airlines and lodging) are not included in the total retail sales figure.