Retail

Armonk, N.Y. -- Retailers and CPG companies with leading stock prices are more likely than their lagging competitors to use Big Data analytics to understand and adjust to customer needs. According to a study of 325 senior retail merchandising executives conducted by IBM Center for Applied Insights in conjunction with Planet Retail, 65% of leading retail merchandisers feel Big Data analytics is critical to their business compared to just 38% of other retail companies.

CHICAGO — Sara Lee Foodservice, a division of the Hillshire Brands Company, has introduced a line of products aimed at the kindergarten-12th grade education sector, focusing on turkey items for both breakfast and lunch.

Additionally, Sara Lee Foodservice will be participating in the United States Department of Agriculture Commodity Food Distribution Program that enables schools to purchase items at reduced prices.

Minneapolis – Today and tomorrow, Best Buy is running a special promotion where consumers can bring in a working iPad 2 or third-generation iPad and receive a gift card worth $200 or more depending on model and condition of the iPad. As reported by All Things D, returns must be performed at a Best Buy store location and the gift card will be good for in-store or online Best Buy purchases.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Branded footwear and accessories retailer DSW recently leveraged social media to hold a contest encouraging existing and potential consumers to vote for nonprofit organizations nominated by DSW employees.

As part of the retailer's Shoe Lovers Care Leave Your Mark program, DSW employees nominated nearly 200 nonprofit organizations for the opportunity to win a grant. Finalists were selected by DSW and then presented via social media for public voting, which wrapped up in late June 2013.

Winson-Salem, N.C. – Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation has completed the sale of three company-owned stores in the Dallas market to Sun Life Holdings LLC as part of a broader agreement where Sun Holdings has agreed to develop 15 additional Krispy Kreme locations in the market during the next five years. Sun Holdings operates nearly 400 restaurants in Texas and Florida, including the Burger King, Popeye's, Arby's, CiCi's, Golden Corral and Del Taco brands. The company also operates 13 T-Mobile stores.

MT. PROSPECT, Ill. — A newly redesigned $100 bill designed to thwart the efforts of counterfeiters is due to hit the market in early October, creating new challenges for retailers.

In recent years, the United States government redesigned multiple banknotes to curb counterfeiting. As Cummins Allison, a leading innovator and provider of coin, currency and check handling solutions, explains, government officials are always looking for ways to stay one step ahead of those trying to forge U.S. currency.

FORT WORTH, Texas — RadioShack released a statement in which it contends its balance sheet remains strong, with total liquidity of $820 million at the end of the first quarter.

The retailer released the statement a day after reports said it was considering hiring a financial adviser as a result of debt maturities, bloated inventories and slumping sales.

New York -- The growing appeal of smaller format stores and the increasing number of international moves by emerging market retailers are two of the key trends revealed in the Accenture Globalization Index, Quarter One 2013.