Strategy

New York City -- An overwhelming majority (72%) of retailers report having a “great deal” of cash on their balance sheets and nearly half of them plan to invest some of it on information technology going forward, according to a survey by KPMG. At the same time, the executives’ assessment of the overall business outlook reflects only modest improvements in revenue and hiring in 2012.

The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) is taking place this week (July 10 – 14) in Los Angeles, with some 15,000 from around the globe in attendance at the Staples Center. It’s a huge event, with over 100 breakout sessions each day, 22 regional keynotes and country breakouts. To kick-off the show, CEO Steve Ballmer said that, thanks to partners, Windows 7 has sold more than 400 million licenses in less than two years, and is still the fastest-selling operating system in history.

Here are some  other interesting tidbits from the conference:

Retail site selection is not just a matter of available real estate. It’s an analytical challenge that requires sophisticated statistical modeling and a thorough understanding of the market potential of a location. Devon Wolfe, managing director of Americas Strategy & Analytics, Troy, N.Y.- based Pitney Bowes Business Insight, discusses the Top 10 most common mistakes that seem to repeatedly plague businesses and hinder their success:

1. Assuming you can build a model for all situations

Dallas -- 7-Eleven has completed upgrades in more than 1,000 of its stores in the greater New York City, Northern and Central New Jersey, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., areas. The company also is considering store-remodel programs in other parts of the United States.

Atlanta -- RedPrairie Corp. announced that Grupo Comercial Control, parent company to Woolworth Mexico and other well-known retail brands, won Mexico's annual National Award for Logistics for its successful implementation of a WMS integral strategy based on the RedPrairie Warehouse Management solution.

Pittsburgh -- GNC Holdings announced that it has made three promotions in its merchandising, marketing and store operations functions. The company also announced that David P. Berg has resigned, effective this September, from his position as COO to pursue other interests.

Thomas Dowd, a 22-year GNC veteran, has been promoted from executive VP store operations and development to executive VP chief merchandising officer, and general manager.

Jeffrey Hennion has been promoted from executive VP chief branding officer to executive VP and CMO.

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SALT LAKE CITY — Walmart and Sam's Club stores, with the help of associate, customer and member donations, between May 1 and June 13 raised more thatn $27.9 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

During the six-week campaign, Walmart and Sam’s Club customers and members were invited to make a donation of $1, $2 or $5 at the register to the Children's Miracle Network Hospital in their community. Additional in-store fundraisers were held to bolster fundraising efforts.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Retail Orphan Initiative on Tuesday announced the launch of an online charity locator to match up retailers looking to donate overstocked merchandise with local charities. The charity locator features an interactive map of nearby charities from a RetailROI-developed database of 501c3 organizations across the country that focus on at-risk children, women in distress or families in need.

MONTVALE, N.J. — A&P announced that it has introduced a new line of locally raised chicken, turkey and beef products exclusively available to customers at select A&P, Pathmark, Superfresh, Waldbaum’s and The Food Emporium stores. All Mid-Atlantic Country Farms products are raised by family-owned farms using humane and sustainable farming methods, reducing the environmental impact of shipping food products over long distances, the company reported.