Research Topic

Freeport, Maine – L.L. Bean Inc. intends to almost triple its store count by 2020. In an internal company memo distributed Wednesday, March 11, L.L. Bean told employees it will open four stores in 2015 and at least 100 by 2020.

Currently, L.L. Bean operates 26 stores and 10 outlets in the U.S. The retailer does not have any stores west of Colorado, but plans to open new stores in the Pacific Northwest. All new stores will be full-price locations. The memo was signed by CEO Chris McCormack, who plans to retire in 2016.

Express is going full-steam ahead with its outlet-store strategy, with plans to open 30-plus stores in 2015. The retailer ended the year with 41 outlet stores in operation.

“Together they generated approximately $55 million of incremental revenue, far surpassing our initial estimate,” said Paul Dascoli, senior VP and CFO, Express, on the chain’s quarterly earnings call. Express is expanding its outlet store division both through new construction and conversions.

After five consecutive quarters of declining same-store sales, teen retailer the Buckle may be coming out of its slump.

The Nebraska-based company reported net sales of $353.5 million, 4.3% higher than the year-ago quarter. Same store sales grew 1.1%. Net income rose by about 1.3% to $60.1 million, producing earnings of $1.25 per share, ahead of analysts’ estimates.

New York - Nearly 80% of all businesses fail their interim PCI compliance assessment, leaving them vulnerable to cyberattacks. According to Verizon’s 2015 PCI Compliance Report, 69% of all consumers are less inclined to do business with a breached organization, making compliance with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) critical.

Minneapolis - Retailer participation in freestanding insert (FSI) coupon events and digital coupons distributed on retailer websites benefited from double-digit increases in 2014 compared to 2013. According to data from Marx, a Kantar Media solution, those participation rates were up 11.8% and 16.5%, respectively.

Goodlettsville, Tenn. -- Dollar General Corp. is not sitting back while rivals Family Dollar and Dollar Tree prepare to merge. Following its failed bid to acquire Family Dollar, Dollar General has accelerated its expansion plans for 2015. The discounter, which already has the retail industry’s most aggressive new store strategy said it will open 730 new stores and remodel 875 existing locations in 2015, translating into a 6% increase in total square footage. And looking ahead, Dollar General plans to grow its square footage by 7% in 2016.

Walmart Executive Vice President of Global Customer Insights and Analytics Cindy Davis has been confirmed as a featured speaker for IRI’s upcoming Summit.

Chicago – A majority (82%) of shoppers look for coupons before grocery shopping, according to the Market Track 2015 Shopper Insight Survey. And 61% of grocery shoppers look for both print and digital coupons.

In contrast, only 33% look for print coupons. Other findings include that nearly 80% of shoppers will switch where they shop if prices are lower elsewhere, and 75% will switch the brand they buy if a different brand is on sale.

Indianapolis -- Simon Property Group has put out feelers to acquire The Macerich Company, confirmed by a letter from Simon chairman and CEO David Simon to Arthur Coppola, chairman and CEO of Macerich.  

Macerich has not responded to the offer, although the letter from Simon references prior discussions that include a proposal by Simon to acquire all of the outstanding stock of Macerich for $91.00 per share in cash and Simon shares. The total value of the proposed transaction is approximately $22.4 billion.
 

Franklin, Tenn. - Worldwide mobile POS shipments grew by 77.4% in 2014 and this growth rate is maintaining its pace in 2015. According to new research from IHL Group, specialty stores still dominate the use of mobile POS worldwide, receiving 58% of total shipments in 2014.