IBM

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp. reported on Wednesday that it has ended a three-year search for a permanent CEO, appointing a former technology executive with no retail experience as its new chief executive and president. The company name Lou D’Ambrosio to the position of president and CEO.

Sears Holdings named Lou D’Ambrosio its new CEO in conjunction with the release of fourth-quarter results that sales and profits decline, as a 2.5% same-store sales increase at Kmart was not enough to offset a 4.5% comp decline at Sear’s flagship stores.

Waltham, Mass. -- The Bon-Ton Stores has selected dynaTrace’s application performance management system to optimize the performance, scalability and stability of its recently implemented IBM e-commerce platform. The deployment comes at a time when the retailer’s online business is growing dramatically.

Kansas City, Kan. -- Zave Networks announced Wednesday an agreement with IBM to collaborate on a digital-incentive solution designed to provide coupon shoppers with an easier way to cash in on savings at the supermarket.

Under the agreement, Zave Networks’ Zavers digital incentive and information management platform will be deployed with IBM’s SurePOS ACE retail application, significantly reducing the time, complexity, and retailer IT resource requirements for launching a digital coupon program.

Armonk, N.Y. -- CSN Stores, the third largest online retailer of home goods in the United States, has selected IBM's Netezza TwinFin appliance to quickly mine and analyze terabytes of business data flowing through the company every day.

The new tool will power CSN's business analytics platform to monitor trends related to profitability, customer satisfaction, customer retention, order fulfillment and supply chain. The company will use the data to drive organic growth initiatives and discover new ways to better serve their customers.

NEW YORK - The retail industry descended upon the Javitz Center in New York City this week for the National Retail Federation’s 100th Big Show, and despite the tough economy, the general mood of the show was one of optimism and excitement. 

Addressing the packed auditorium before Monday’s super sessions, NRF president and CEO Matt Shay said. “There are very few organizations that enjoy the stature of retail, very few businesses that contribute more to the local economy.”

Armonk, N.Y. -- The U.S. online retail sector delivered double-digit growth in December 2010 compared with the same period last year, according to analytics-based findings by IBM. Online sales were up 12%, with consumers pushing the average order value up from $171.06 to $190.42 for an increase of 11.3%.

New York City -- The 100th annual “Big Show,” the National Retail Federation’s annual event in New York City, launched at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Sunday, Jan. 9 with a lineup of sessions and plenty of buzz.

One of the most talked-about topics? Facebook has a booth at NRF this year, representing the power that social media does, and will, play in the retail industry.