Events

There was a buzz at this year’s NRF Big Show surrounding Magic Mirrors, which have moved from the prototype stage to something everyone seems to be working on now.

If you’re going to create an agenda, it may as well be an ambitious one. And the “Greatness Agenda” being pursued by Kohl’s Corp. is certainly ambitious.

“Our strategy is to be the most engaging retailer in the U.S.,” Janet Schalk, executive VP and CIO og Kohl’s, explained during an exclusive interview with Chain Store Age at the recent NRF 2015 Annual Convention & Expo in New York. “The Greatness Agenda involves initiatives across the spectrum – some front-end and some enabling.”

Naples, Fla. -- With only nine months until the EMV migration deadline, retail and technology professionals are still unprepared, according to a recent survey by ACI Worldwide. The survey was conducted in January 2015 at the National Retail Federation’s 104th Annual Convention and Expo, “The Big Show,” in New York.

Principle findings of the survey included:

More than 200 retail and technology professionals surveyed on show floor at the recent National Retail Federation convention offered a mix of disturbing and enlightening thoughts on the state of EMV readiness, omnichannel investments and mobile wallet winners.

The survey conducted in person by representatives of payments company ACI Worldwide at NRF’s Big Show revealed that:

Conn’s is launching a new philanthropic program to help improve the communities it serves by empowering children.

Conn’s Cares is the company’s first program to will galvanize every employee around a single cause at all Conn’s locations, the company said.

“Our vision is that Conn’s Cares will become an enduring investment in the children of the communities we serve,” said Theodore Wright, Conn’s chairman and CEO. “We are committed to the idea that every child should have an opportunity to succeed.”

The National Retail Federation “Big Show” is always a good barometer of what trends will influence the retail technology landscape for the coming year, and the just-completed 2015 edition was no exception. Based on the buzz on the show floor and at keynotes and sessions, 2015 should be an eventful and possibly transformative year in retail IT.

Here are five technology trends that really stood out.

Inventory Gets Smart

Irving, Texas – The Michaels Companies Inc. had plenty to smile about during the 2014 holiday season. Net sales for the eleven-week period from Nov. 2, 2014 to Jan. 17, 2015 increased 3.5% and same-store sales increased 1.5% from the comparable prior year period.

For the full fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, net sales are expected to be in the range of about $1.59 billion to $1.6 billion, with an expected increase in same-store sales ranging from 0.8% to 1.2%.
 

Washington, D.C. - The National Retail Federation (NRF) has publicly expressed disappointment at the U.S. Supreme Court’s announcement that it would not review an appellate court ruling on whether the Federal Reserve set a 2011 cap on debit card swipe fees higher than the level sought by Congress in legislation passed the year before.