Convenience Stores

New York -- Shoppers will be opening both their hearts and their wallets this Valentine’s Day. According to a new study from IBISWorld, total holiday spending will increase 3.8% from 2014, to $139.70 from $134.56.

Revenue from candy is expected to rise 3%, and will maintain its position as the category with the most consistent growth over the past five years. This segment’s popularity is due to its easy availability and its varied pricing based on the manufacturer and quality of ingredients.

ECRM compared retail circular advertising in January 2014 vs. January 2015 and noted trends occurring across top retail chains. Target boosted circular pages used in January 2015 by 18%. Get Fit, Choose Well Eat Well, and Baby circular themes were seen at Target Y/Y. Target added a “Halftime Spread” theme Wrap section in the pre-big game circular featuring PepsiCo products and private label snack foods.

Memphis, Tenn. -- Fred's Super Dollar reported $138.8 million in sales, up 3%, for the four-week fiscal month of January ended Jan. 31, 2015. Comparable store sales for the month increased 4.3% versus a decrease of 1.8% for the same period last year.

New York -- U.S. retail and consumer (R&C) total transaction value for 2014 hit a five-year high and surpassed the $100 billion mark for the second year in a row, according to PwC’s U.S. retail and consumer deals insights 2014 Year in Review and 2015 Outlook report.

New York -- Academy Sports + Outdoors will celebrate the simultaneous opening of four stores in the Orlando, Florida, area in March.

The new stores will be located in Kissimmee, Waterford, Lake Mary and Melbourne and will open simultaneously at 8:30 a.m. on March 6. The openings mark the Katy, Texas-based company’s furthest expansion eastward to date.

The $4 billion sporting goods retailer has entered into a multi-year partnership with the Orlando City Soccer Club beginning with the team's inaugural 2015 season.  

Reston, Va. – Despite the popular image of “showrooming” mobile shoppers using their devices to find better prices on in-store items, 85% of consumers actively shop with a mobile device from home, even if other devices are available. In addition, the “Mobile Spend in 2015” study from Contact Solutions shows that 26% of consumers do in fact showroom, while 27% will make mobile purchases from a store they are shopping in.

Other findings include:

Wage and hour issues are ever present in the retail industry. Retailers are under constant pressure to control expenses, the largest component of which is labor. In 2015, local, state and federal officials are poised to take actions that will likely increase the cost of labor for retailers. Retailers must remain alert for these coming changes and begin planning for their impact long before their effective dates.

Calgary, Canada – Shell Canada has signed a multi-year renewal with LoyaltyOne, the Canadian coalition loyalty business of Alliance Data Systems Corp., as a national sponsor of its Air Miles Reward Program. Shell Canada issues Air Miles reward miles for automotive fuel purchases made at its Shell-branded retail service locations across Canada.