Research Topic

New York City -- Wal-Mart Stores said that by the end of the year it will have invested the equivalent of approximately $756 million to expand its operations in Brazil.

Marcos Samaha, president of Wal-Mart's Brazilian subsidiary, said in a Tuesday statement that 1.2 billion reals ($755 million) will be used to build 80 stores, renovate existing locations and improve logistics.

El Segundo, Calif. -- Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp.’s first-quarter net income fell 54% and missed analysts' expectations because of increased expenses as customer traffic declined.

The company also gave a second-quarter earnings outlook much lower than Wall Street's view.

Big 5 reported late Tuesday that it earned $2.8 million for the period ended April 3, down from $5 million a year ago.

New York City -- For a fifth consecutive year, Ace Hardware ranks highest in satisfying home improvement retail store customers, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Home Improvement Retailer Satisfaction Study(SM). The study, now in its fifth year, finds that home improvement store shoppers are more satisfied with store facilities, merchandise and pricing in 2011, compared with 2010.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Big 5 Sporting Goods reported that for the fiscal 2011 first quarter, net sales were $221.1 million, compared with net sales of $218.5 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2010. Same-store sales decreased 0.9% for the first quarter of 2011 versus the comparable period in the prior year. This compares to a same-store sales increase of 2.4% in the first quarter of 2010.

Washington, D.C. -- More and more retailers are experimenting with mobile and social initiatives. According to “The State Of Retailing Online 2011: Marketing, Social, and Mobile” report conducted by Forrester Research. for Shop.org, 91%  percent of retailers currently have a mobile strategy in place or in development (up from 74% a year ago), and 72% say they will increase their spending on social networks this year over last.

New York City -- Chain Store Age will present a Webinar – “Facilities Dollars and Sense: Unlocking Substantial Maintenance and Repair Savings by Controlling All Components of Cost” -- on Tuesday, May 10, 2011, at 2 p.m (EST).

The presentation, sponsored by First Service Networks, will discuss a new way of thinking that systematically analyzes, controls and manages each individual component of cost to deliver substantial savings on multi-site maintenance and repair spend.

WASHINGTON -- Mobile and social initiatives are becoming increasingly important to retailers. According to “The State Of Retailing Online 2011: Marketing, Social, and Mobile” report conducted by Forrester Research Inc. for Shop.org, 91% of retailers currently have a mobile strategy in place or in development (up from 74% a year ago). Additionally, 72% of retailers say they will increase their spending on social networks this year over last year. “

New York City -- Clarity and ease of use are sticky points for retailers when it comes to implementing business intelligence, according to a recent survey on BI in retail by Chain Store Age.