Corporate Governance

Shoppers push holiday sales up 4%
Confident consumers stocked up on gifts and other merchandise over the 2014 holiday season, helping boost overall holiday retail sales to their highest level since 2011.

According to the National Retail Federation, December retail sales, which exclude automobiles, gas stations and restaurants, decreased 0.9% seasonally adjusted month-to-month, and 4.6% unadjusted year-over-year. The significant drop in gasoline prices in the month of December brought down much of the month-to-month growth.
More supply chain disruption looming
Retailers looking to replenish inventories depleted by solid holiday sales are facing a new impediment at West Coast ports.

Reuters is reporting that unions are orchestrating work slowdowns to exacerbate an already gridlocked situation at the busy port.

The Pacific Maritime Association said the region's five largest ports, including Los Angeles and Long Beach, had seen backups "approaching complete gridlock," as contentious contract talks with the dockworkers union have stalled.

Report: Crafts marketplace Etsy planning IPO

Etsy, an e-marketplace that specializes in crafts and other artsy items, plans to hold an initial public offering as soon as this quarter, according to Bloomberg.

The decade-old company may seek to raise about $300 million, Bloomberg says, and is working with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.
Wayfair paints a new e-commerce strategy

Online home furnishings retailer Wayfair is leveraging Sherwin-Williams’ color technology for a whole new user experience on wayfair.com.

The retailer plans to integrate Sherwin-Williams’ color matching technology throughout the wayfair.com shopping experience, allowing shoppers to browse paint colors alongside more than 2 million products in furniture, décor and bedding.
BJ’s gets smarter about it store location

Location analytics solutions provider Esri is helping BJ’s Wholesale Club generate actionable business insights from club location data.

BJ’s use of Esri’s solutions was announced in conjunction with the National Retail Federation’s Big Show in New York. More specifically, BJ’s will use Esri’s location analytics solutions to aid in real estate research strategy and business insight analysis.
BJ’s gets smarter about it store locations

Location analytics solutions provider Esri is helping BJ’s Wholesale Club generate actionable business insights from club location data.

BJ’s use of Esri’s solutions was announced in conjunction with the National Retail Federation’s Big Show in New York. More specifically, BJ’s will use Esri’s location analytics solutions to aid in real estate research strategy and business insight analysis.
Staples CEO passes on pay increase as board evolves

Staples didn’t have a great year, so Chairman and CEO Ron Sargent won’t accept a $31,000 base pay raise the board of directors had previously approved.

The company announced that Sargent would not accept the 2.5% pay increase, along with several noteworthy governance moves, including the appointment of an independent chair when Sargent retires.

In other board moves, current director and former Toys “R” Us CEO Robert Nakasone is relinquishing his seat to make room for a Google executive.
Retail Rap: The Brandscape Ahead

While there were some reported ups and downs over the course of last year’s holiday shopping season, the early takeaway is that the season was, in the end, positive. While we’ll have to wait for hard numbers for more detailed insight, and while definitive conclusions might be a bit much to draw at this point, it does seem to me like the increased length of the ever-expanding holiday shopping season didn’t have any appreciable negative impact.
E-commerce spending to top $300 billion in 2015

New York -- E-commerce in the United States in 2015 will top the $300 billion mark for the first-time ever, according to Forrester Research’s principal analyst Sucharita Mulpuru.

“This is big news,” Mulpuru said during a presentation at the National Retail Federation’s annual “Big Show” conference.
Online grocery delivery startup Instacart gets $220 million infusion

New York -- The fast-growing online grocery delivery startup Instacart confirmed it has raised $220 million in a funding round led by the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. This latest round of funding values the San Francisco-based company, founded in 2012, at a whopping $2 billion, according to various reports.
Japan’s Muji department stores to install NCR’s new self-checkout solution

New York -- Verifone announced that Delhaize America has selected Verifone’s multi-media, EMV and NFC-capable MX 925 payment terminals to enhance consumer engagement at the point of sale across all of Delhaize America’s U.S. locations.
BJ’s selects Esri’s location analytics solutions

Redlands, Calif. -- BJ’s Wholesale Club announced that it has adopted Esri’s location analytics solutions to aid in real estate research strategy and business insight analysis.