Research Topic

Ace Hardware is America’s favorite home improvement store and Costco is the favorite for home furnishings, according to a new survey by Market Force Information.

Families this year are ready to splurge on jewelry, flowers, gift cards, brunch and apparel for mom.

According to NRF’s 2015 Mother’s Day Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, Americans will spend an average of $172.63 on mom this year, up nearly $10 from $162.94 last year and the highest amount in the survey’s 12-year history. Total spending is expected to reach $21.2 billion.

Gas, beer and cigarettes still dominate convenience store sales, but fresh items are making some surprising inroads.

Hackensack, N.J. – Frequency of customer visits and customer delight are crucial indicators of customer loyalty. According to a new survey of 1,000 adult U.S. consumers from branding firm Strativity Group Inc., almost 40% of customers interact with their favorite company at least weekly.

The Top 100 is Retailing Today’s look at the best retailers in America. We comb through annual reports and regulatory filings to arrive at our annual ranking of the best retailers in America based on annual sales, number of stores, e-commerce capabilities, profitability and operational efficiency. In addition to the annual rankings based on financial and operational metrics, The Top 100 also features: 

Bentonville, Ark. -- As the world’s largest retailer has been challenged to grow sales, the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. revealed in its proxy statement filed with security regulators that executive cash bonuses are now being tied to sales performance – in addition to operating income – in the fiscal year.

Framingham, Mass. -- American women are ambitious and confident when it comes to pursuing their goals, yet understand the hard work it takes to achieve them.

In a new survey from Marshalls, 85% of American women ages 22 – 54 who have goals feel confident that they will achieve them in the next year, which is no easy feat with women juggling four different goals on average. Even as master multi-taskers women know when to ask for help, with 91% reporting to need a little boost and support to help create a path toward success.
 

Suppliers to Walmart are always looking for ways to align themselves with the retailer and develop strategies that drive sales. Nothing could be more instructive on that front than 2015 version of a Global Responsibility Report, which reveals the company’s extensive social and environmental commitments and accomplishments.

The eighth annual edition of the document was released this week in conjunction with other material related to the company June 5 shareholders meeting.

Walmart increased hourly pay for employees earlier this year but top executives didn’t earn as much as they could have after the company came up short on key metrics.

Louisville, Colo. -- Ace Hardware is America’s favorite home improvement store and Costco is the favorite for home furnishings, according to a new nationwide survey by Market Force Information. The findings are based on consumers’ satisfaction levels and their likelihood to recommend the retailer to others.

In the home improvement sector, Ace Hardware earned the top spot with a composite loyalty score of 61% (out of a potential 70%). Menards came in second, at 50%, followed by Lowe’s, Home Depot and Walmart.