Strategy

Brentwood, Tenn. - Tractor Supply Company plans to build a new distribution center in Casa Grande, Arizona. Located in the Central Arizona Commerce Park, the facility is expected to begin operating in the fourth quarter of 2015 and will be approximately 650,000-sq.-ft., with the potential to create more than 250 local jobs.
Tractor Supply Company's new distribution center will have the potential to service approximately 250 stores in the Southwest region. Currently, the company operates more than 1,360 stores in 49 states across the country.

The fourth quarter is off to a very strong start at TJX Companies, according to CEO Carol Meyrowitz, who expects an exciting mix of initiatives to yield a low single digit fourth quarter comp increase and profit growth.

RESTON, Va. — Total online retail spending for the November–December period will reach $61.0 billion, a 16% gain versus year ago, according to comScore’s 2014 holiday forecast.  Spending using desktop computers for that period is expected to reach $53.2 billion, up 14%  year-over-year, which is 4 percentage points higher than last season’s 10-percent growth rate.

Mobile commerce is predicted to account for $7.9 billion of retail spending, representing 13% of total digital commerce and growing at an annual rate of 25% vs. last season.

Hamilton, Bermuda – Signet Jewelers Ltd. has named Daniel Shull as its first CIO effective Jan. 5, 2015. As CIO, Shull will be responsible for Signet's IT systems across its three divisions.

Toronto, Canada – The bad news continued for Sears Canada Inc. during the third quarter of fiscal 2014. Following the announcement by parent company Sears Holding that it would sell off most of its 51% ownership stake to shareholders and reports that J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. will end its agreement to issue credit cards for Sears Canada in November 2015, Sears Canada reported a net loss of $118.7 million, significantly larger than the $48.8 million net loss reported the same period a year earlier.

Pittsburgh, P.A. – Although weakening golf and hunting sales contributed to a small decline in net income at Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. in the third quarter of fiscal 2014, the retailer still beat Wall Street profit expectations. Dick’s reported net income of $49.2 million, about a 2% drop from $50 million the same quarter a year earlier.
Net sales rose 9% to $1.53 billion from $1.4 billion, and same-store sales increased 1.1%. E-commerce penetration was 7.3% of total sales, compared to 6.5% in the third quarter of the previous year.

North Bergen, N.J. – The Vitamin Shoppe has signed a multi-year renewal agreement for Revionics price optimization technology. Three years ago the Vitamin Shoppe implemented the Revionics price optimization platform in an effort to undertake a more strategic, data-driven approach to its pricing strategies and tactics.

Increased use of tablets and smartphone this holiday season will help online sales grow 16% to a record $61 billion, but desktop computers still dominate, according to the online measurement firm comScore.

The company said online sales during the November and December timeframe would be primarily driven by desktop computers, but noted that mobile devices are growing at a faster rate. Spending using desktop computers is projected to grow 14% to $53.2 billion while mobile commerce is projected to grow 25% to $7.9 billion and account for 13% of total e-commerce sales.