Sales & Marketing

Consumers in the U.S. are definitely relying on digital tools to aid their shopping activities.

According to a new study of 2,000 consumers in nine countries including the U.S. from Deloitte, “Navigating the New Digital Divide,” 49% of purchases made in the U.S. are digitally influenced, and 28% are influenced by mobile.

Dillard’s says sales were particularly weak in the Southern states as the department store retailer reported a 35.6% drop in fourth quarter profit.

For the period ended Jan. 30, Dillard's had revenue of $2.07 billion for the fourth quarter, down from $2.1 billion during the same period a year ago. Net income was $130.5 million, or $3.17 per share, for the prior year fourth quarter. Same-store sales declined 2%. Net sales for the fourth quarter were $2.074 billion.

Discount grocer Aldi will make its long-awaited California debut on March 24, with the opening of eight Southland stores. But that’s just the beginning of the company’s expansion plans for the market.

In all, Aldi plans to open approximately 45 stores in Southern California by the end of 2016. The opening of Aldi in California is part of the company's five-year strategic plan to open 650 new stores across the nation. By the end of 2018, the grocer expects to operate nearly 2,000 stores.

Macy’s says cold weather in January helped the retailer report a better than expected decrease in same store sales for the fourth quarter even as the company explores an expansion of its off-price and beauty formats.

For the period ended Jan. 30, same store sales fell 4.3%, slightly less than the 4.7% fall it had estimated. Total sales declined to $8.87 billion.

Charming Charlie wants to make sure Web customers get the same attentive service as shoppers at its 350-plus stores.

To that end, the jewelry and accessories retailer has deployed the Yottaa ContextIntelligence cloud-based application acceleration and security platform to optimize, accelerate, and secure its online retail environment. The platform is being leveraged alongside Magento Enterprise.

An incentive program is in the works in California that would make it easier for food retailers to prevent harmful refrigerant emissions. If approved, the Refrigerant Incentive Program will be the beginning of the end of supermarkets’ struggles with endless refrigerant phase outs, regulations, and government refrigerant dictates.

Where Does the Money Come From?

Rudolph E. Milian, former senior staff VP of the International Council of Shopping Centers and a leading retail real estate development executive, has launched Woodcliff Realty Advisors LLC, a full-service management consultancy that brings together an elite group of retail and real estate professionals and experts to serve shopping center companies, retailers, commercial real estate organizations, communities and investors worldwide.