Budgets/Spending/Market Size

New York – Online is the leading channel for consumers to perform both back-to-school and back-to-college shopping. According to a study from e-commerce marketing technology provider HookLogic and polling company Qriously, 35% of consumers shop for back-to-school suppliers online, while 34% shop in-store and 33% shop both channels (some totals equal more than 100% due to rounding).

It looks like more consumers prefer to do their back-to-school and back-to-college shopping online. According to a study from e-commerce marketing technology provider HookLogic and polling company Qriously, 35% of consumers shop for back-to-school suppliers online, while 34% shop in-store and 33% shop both channels (some totals equal more than 100% due to rounding).

Suburban Atlanta will be home to Keurig Green Mountain’s new manufacturing facility used to produce new cold products resulting from its new partnership with Coca-Cola.

Cincinnati – Kroger Co. reported a 4% increase in its first-quarter profit, helped by the addition of Harris-Teeter, which the grocery giant acquired in January 2014. Kroger raised its net earnings and same-store sales forecast for the fiscal year.
   
The company earned $501 million in the quarter, up from $481 million in the year-ago period. The payment of $56 million to withdraw from two pension funds negatively impacted Kroger’s net earnings.

Fort Worth, Texas – Promotions took their toll on profitability at Pier Imports Inc. during the first quarter of fiscal 2015. The company reduced its earnings guidance for fiscal 2015.

Net earnings fell 25% to $15.1 million from $20.3 million in the same quarter of fiscal 2014.

Total sales for the first quarter were $419.1 million, a 6.1% increase from $394.9 million in the year-ago quarter. Same-store sales increased 6.3%, attributable to increases in total brand traffic, conversion and higher average ticket.

Austin, Texas – Three-quarters (75%) of retail marketers believe that digital advertising delivers a higher ROI than offline advertising, including circulars and direct mail. A survey of 200 retail marketing decision-makers and influencers commissioned by RetailMeNot Inc. and conducted by Kelton, shows that despite this belief, 51% of respondents said digital marketing spend in retail compared to offline marketing spend is still about 50/50.

Chicago -- Chile is the number one destination for emerging market retail expansion, followed by China, where retail sales totaled a whopping $3.7 trillion in 2013, according to the 2014 A.T. Kearney Global Retail Development Index.

With Uruguay, Brazil, Peru, Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico also in the index of top emerging economies ready for retail expansion, Latin America continues to show strength as a regional retail growth market.

Boston — A joint committee of the Massachusetts state House of Representatives and Senate has filed a bill to gradually raise the state’s minimum wage from its current hourly rate of $8 to $11. The increase would occur in stages until reaching $11 in 2017.

Boston — A joint committee of the Massachusetts state House of Representatives and Senate has filed a bill to gradually raise the state’s minimum wage from its current hourly rate of $8 to $11. The increase would occur in stages until reaching $11 in 2017.

Washington, D.C. — Consumer spending rose 0.3% in May, marking four consecutive months of rising U.S. retail sales.

The Commerce Department reported Thursday that May results were boosted by strength from the auto sector, which recorded a 1.4% sales increase during the month. U.S. retail sales rose 0.5% in April and 1.5% in March.