Strategy

Was it a good holiday season or a bad one? Depends who you ask and how results are interpreted as evidenced by conflicting perspectives on U.S. Commerce Department statistics released Thursday morning.

It was widely reported that December sales were a disappointment by media outlets, which cited Commerce Department statistics released Thursday morning showing a rise of 0.1% versus the 0.3% that was widely reported as the expectation of economists.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation announced that Whole Foods Market is the recipient of its prestigious annual Innovator of the Year award.

Walter Robb, co-CEO, will accept the award on behalf of co-CEO and founder John Mackey during the Annual Retail Industry Luncheon at NRF’s 101st Annual Convention and Expo on Jan. 17.

New York City -- The National Retail Federation’s 101st Annual Convention and EXPO kicks off Jan. 15 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. The four-day event will feature topics ranging from digital and mobile retailing to the evolution of the retail store to economic trends and trends in consumer spending. Former President Bill Clinton is the featured keynote speaker on Jan. 17.

Julie Roehm may have only spent a short time in Walmart’s marketing department over five years ago but she made quite a name for herself during that brief tenure and after she was fired. Now, Ad Age is reporting the former Walmart SVP has turned up in a similar capacity at software maker SAP.

I have to admit it: I was shocked when I heard the news this week that Glen Senk, the widely-admired CEO of Urban Outfitters, was resigning.  Sure, the company wasn’t coming off the best of years, having battled lackluster sales throughout much of 2011. A series of fashion misses — nothing new in the always dicey world of women’s apparel — had taken their toll on profit as the retailer sought to clear slow-moving merchandise with deep discounts.

New York City -- Consumer confidence rose more than forecast in January, reaching its highest level in eight months amid signs of an improving labor market.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment increased to 74 from 69.9 at the end of December. The median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey called for 71.5. The measure has increased 9.9 points in the last two months, the biggest such gain since April-May 2009.

New York City -- Retail companies are experiencing a period of sustained turnover at the top, according to the a new report by Russell Reynolds Associates, which examined turnover and recruitment trends between January 2006 and April 2011 at 81 retail chains headquartered in the United States with annual revenues of $1 billion or more.

The study,” A Perfect Storm: CEO Challenges in Retail,” found that 59% of the retail companies studied experienced a change in CEO leadership during this five-year period. 
In other findings:

Plymouth Meeting, Pa. -- Fameco Real Estate announced that its property management division, Fameco Management Services, has been awarded the property management assignment for Stanbery Development’s Pennsylvania and New Jersey retail portfolio. This assignment includes four specialty centers totaling 430,000 sq. ft.