Finance & Capital Management

 

The market trend was detailed in a survey conducted by Johnson Controls Global WorkPlace Solutions in partnership with PeopleWise. According to the study, facilities management is the most outsourced service, with 82% of the respondents currently outsourcing some part of facilities management and real estate services.

Ann Arbor, Mich. – Gas prices may be falling, but the price of recovering from a data breach is steadily climbing. According to a new study from authentication technology provider Duo Security, the average cost of data breach recovery reached $12.7 million in 2014, compared to $11.6 million in 2013 and $9 million in 2012.  

The best and the brightest college students interested in retail careers will receive $100,000 in grants from the National Retail Federation (NRF) on Jan. 11 in New York City.

The NRF Foundation will award the scholarships to 24 outstanding students as a part of its Next Generation Scholarship program.

This year students will also be awarded a travel scholarship to attend NRF’s Big Show and NRF Student Program in New York City.

Fort Worth, Texas – The U.S. Department of Labor is reportedly investigating how RadioShack has been managing its 401(k) retirement plans for employees. According to the Associated Press, the Department of Labor notified RadioShack of the investigation with a letter saying it is looking at the retailer’s management of retirement plans going back to 2011.  

Bentonville, Ark. – Minimum wage increases scheduled to take effect in 24 states and Washington, D.C. will affect employees at more than 1,400 Wal-Mart stores and 200 Sam’s Club in the U.S. According to CNN, Wal-Mart said it has less than 6,000 employees currently earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and has already been planning to pay all employees more than the federal minimum wage.  

The 2014 holiday season has shown how shoppers’ growing preference for e-commerce can be challenging for retailers. By offering customers free shipping and ever-faster delivery, and by handling the higher rates of return that often come with e-commerce, retailers potentially face either reduced profit margins or loss in market share if they don’t keep up with customer preferences.

As they plan for 2015, many retailers will consider how they can provide a seamless customer experience that fundamentally helps them to maintain or improve profit margins.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart is offering an online gift card exchange called CardCash.com that will offer consumers up to 97% of the face value of another retailer’s gift card in the form of a Wal-Mart e-gift card. The retailer has set up a site where customers can enter the card number, PIN and some basic personal information so it can verify card balance before making an offer.  

Deerfield, Ill. - At a special meeting of shareholders held Monday, Walgreens shareholders voted to approve all proposals related to the company’s acquisition of the remaining 55% of Alliance Boots GmbH that it does not currently own and the reorganization of the company into a holding company structure.