Attitudes: Retailers

Target’s promotional cadence increased in March, but it was nothing compared with the ramp up in activity at Walmart and Toys“R”Us. To check out Market Track’s monthly review of top retailers’ promotional efforts, click here. 

Walmart is the nation’s largest food retailer, and 140 million people shop its stores each week, yet somehow the company ranked second to last on a ranking of the best and worst supermarkets in America.

Chelmsford, Mass. -- The Retail Labor Index released Thursday by Kronos Inc. indicated that applications for retail jobs are waning.

The April Index, which characterizes the March 2012 state of the demand and supply sides of the labor market within the U.S. retail sector, prepared by Macroeconomic Advisers, was down slightly in March to a still solid 4.3%. (The index is defined as the ratio of hires to applications within a given month, expressed as a percentage. A level of 3% means that for every 100 applications received, three hires occurred).

Amazon wasn’t always a threat to Walmart, but as the only retailer grows and offers more of the same products as traditional mass retailers, it has become hard to ignore. This article from Businessweek examines how Amazon has influenced Walmart’s approach to online.

J.C. Penney is in the very beginning of its transformation. But the first component of the strategy — a new pricing model that jettisoned hundreds of promotions in favor a three-tier model — in already in place. And not surprisingly, experts are weighing in.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores chief merchandising officer Duncan MacNaughton said during a CIBC conference on Wednesday that Wal-Mart’s domestic sales momentum has continued over the last two months.

The world’s largest retailer registered a same-store sales rise of 1.3% in U.S. stores in the third quarter and a 1.5% increase in the fourth quarter.

Results reversed a nine-quarter streak of same-store sales declines.

According to MacNaughton, the momentum continued in February and March, as well.

New York -- The Conference Board said Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index pulled back slightly in March, to 70.2, down from 71.6 in February.

"Consumer Confidence pulled back slightly in March, after rising sharply in February,” said Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. “The moderate decline was due solely to a less favorable short-term outlook, while consumers’ assessment of current conditions, on the other hand, continued to improve.”

WABAN, Mass. — Sam's Club has the most loyal customers, according to a new study by Temkin Group. The report, "2012 Temkin Loyalty Ratings," rated the loyalty that consumers have to 206 large companies across 18 industries.

Only seven companies earned "very strong" loyalty ratings. In addition to the retailers listed above, credit unions and USAA earned the distinction. Sam’s Club had the most loyal customers across all industries, with a loyalty rating of 65%.