Sales & Marketing

Doubling sales in any category within a four year time span would be an audacious goal for any retailer, but that was the objective Walmart set for itself in the beer category last fall, according to Bloomberg.

Brussels, Belgium – Delhaize Group reported increases in net profit, same-store sales and revenues during the second quarter of fiscal 2013.  Net profit totaled $139.2 million, up 20% from the same quarter in the prior year. Same-store sales grew 1.1% in the U.S. and 0.8% in Belgium, while revenues came to roughly $7.1 billion, a year-over-year increase of 7.1%.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Strong sales in linens, dresses and intimate apparel buoyed Stein Mart’s total sales for the second quarter ended August 3, which increased 3.8% to $290.9 million from $280.4 million for the same quarter last year. 

The company posted a comparable-store sales increase of 6.4% for the quarter. 

Woonsocket, R.I. - Accordant Health Services, a subsidiary of CVS Caremark, has launched an updated website and member portal, which provides new features and services for program members and is designed to help support and improve member engagement and participation for clients.

Accordant.com now provides eligible members with online access to educational materials, videos, communication tools and community resources that encompass 17 conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease and sickle cell disease.

By Ted Vaughan, [email protected]

The year 2012 was the best year for retail IPOs since 2002 — S&P Capital IQ reported seven offerings for the year — and when we released our 2013 IPO Outlook Study earlier this year, 30% of capital markets executives expected initial public offerings (IPOs) in the retail and consumer products space to continue to grow in 2013. Now that we’re well into the second half of the year, how have those expectations fared?

New York – As a result of slumping net and same-store sales, Aeropostale is forecasting a net loss per share of between 42 cents and 44 cents during the second fiscal quarter of this year, which is 19 cents higher than the previously issued guidance. The revised estimate is based on a 6% decrease in net sales to $454 million, from $485.3 million in the year ago period.

Fort Worth, Texas — Buxton has announced the roll out of a full suite of retail market analyses in the Canadian marketplace. The company noted that the Canadian retail market has become extremely competitive and will likely see massive retail growth over the next few years. As a new concentration for Buxton, the effort will focus on both U.S. retailers expanding into Canada, and Canadian organizations looking to maximize their footprint in the market.

San Francisco - Customer satisfaction is on the rise globally after more than a year in decline, with the average global customer satisfaction rating reaching 81% in the second quarter of this year. According to the new quarterly Zendesk Benchmark report, this about a 4% increase from an average rating of 78% in the previous quarter and the highest average rating since the first quarter of last year.