Finance & Capital Management

Joel Alden, partner in the retail practice at A.T. Kearney, said that investments in technology and physical stores mainly fall into two distinct categories: maintenance investments or growth investments.

“For maintenance investments — replacing a degrading building infrastructure, for example — the cost of not making the investment is critically important,” Alden said.

How businesses should respond to the new rule

In May, the Department of Labor unveiled new overtime regulations. The biggest change — and the one that will impact retailers the most — is the nearly doubling of the salary threshold that entitles most salaried workers to overtime pay from $23,660 to $47,476, which is based upon the 40th percentile of the lowest-wage region, the South. The previous cutoff was set back in 2004.

Retailers should do their homework now and make a plan for the future

Today, retailers and end-users face many changes in regard to refrigerants, including technology options and efficiency regulations. In the past, choices were made and remained applicable for a year or more.

When it comes to supporting liquor sales, the Granite State is looking for a rock-solid enterprise foundation.   The New Hampshire Liquor Commission, which operates 79 retail stores across New Hampshire, is turning to the Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP platform. The New Hampshire Executive Council has approved a contract with global Microsoft Dynamics partner AlfaPeople to implement and support the application. The $19 million dollar, 10-year contract was won in competition with multiple solutions and through a multi-year selection process.

The people have spoken – and they like limits on debit card swipe fees the way they are.  

It’s important to look beyond the traditional hard metrics of ROI to determine the bottom line value of an IT solution. Here are five key areas CFOs need to consider when evaluating technology:

1. Sales growth: There are many types of applications that can drive increased sales, but some of the most common are solutions that optimize pricing, including markdowns. Determining the ideal price for maximizing sales without cutting profits at a store level is too complex for merchants to do on their own.

Tractor Supply Co. supports expansion with science

There is substantial funding available to reduce the cost of upgrading existing lighting systems, but it takes some preparation. Here are some tips: