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Budgets/Spending/Market Size

  • TAX CREDIT EXTENDED

    The federal government has extended the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for solar energy investments through 2019. It provides businesses that install solar panels a tax credit equal to 30% of the total solar installation price. The credit will ramp down to 26% in 2020, 22% in 2021 and to 10% in 2022 for commercial solar installations.

  • Marbles: The Brain Store

    Deals in “Mind” Games

    Brain fitness might seem an unusual specialty for a retailer, but it’s proved a sweet spot for Marbles: The Brain Store.

    Founded by Lindsay Gaskins and Scott Brown, the Chicago-based retailer sells games and other items designed to stimulate the brain. It made its debut in 2008, with a kiosk in a local mall. People were intrigued, but they wanted a more engaging shopping experience, said marketing director Hallie Steube.

  • Costco doing something it hasn’t done in nine years

    Costco Wholesale Corp. is raising entry-level wages for its hourly workers for the first time since 2007.

    The move comes as other major retailers have been upping the minimum wages for their entry-level workers amid a tightening job market.

    Starting this month, Costco will pay workers $1.50 more per hour in the U.S. and Canada. Workers will now earn at least $13 or $13.50 per hour, up from a minimum of $11.50 or $12 per hour.

  • Survey: Retailers focus on specific marketing channel

    When it comes to marketing technology spend, retailers are overwhelmingly allocating dollars to a particular consumer touchpoint.

    According to a new survey of more than 200 retail marketing executives from digital savings platform RetailMeNot Inc., "The Rise of Mobile Marketing Spend in Retail," 87% of retail marketers plan to invest more in mobile marketing in 2016.

    In comparison, 73% of respondents plan to increase non-mobile digital advertising spend and 62% plan to increase their offline advertising spend.

  • Burlington Stores keeps hot streak going

    Burlington Stores attracted large numbers of shoppers over the holiday season, as the off-price retailer reported a jump in sales and profit for the fourth quarter.

    For the fourth quarter ended Jan. 30, the company said adjusted net income per share rose 26% to $2.31 vs. $1.83 in the prior year quarter.Revenue increased 3.5% to $1.55 billion. Same-store sales increased 2.1%.

  • Grocer racks up another impressive year

    Publix Super Markets hit a milestone in 2015 as it exceeded the $30 billion mark in annual sales and also racked up another impressive quarter.

    The grocer reported that net earnings for the quarter ended Dec. 26, 2015, rose 15% to $521.1 million, from $453.3 million in the year ago period. For the full year, earnings rose some 13%, to $2 billion, compared to $1.7 billion last year.

  • Pet Supplies Plus in expansion drive

    Pet Supplies Plus will target California as part of its strategic growth plan for 2016.

    The nation’s largest pet franchise, which has more than 330 locations in 26 states, announced it will expand into the Golden State to grow its base of multi-unit franchise partners.

  • Groupon hits sales milestone

    Online deal provider Groupon has joined an elite group – companies that have sold one billion products.

    In Groupon’s case, the product is also known as a “Groupon,” or a limited-time, localized online promotion. It took Groupon, which launched in October 2008, roughly seven-and-a-half years to reach the billion-Groupon mark.

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