Supply Chain & Merchandising

Chicago -- Nearly 70% of U.S. adults would avoid shopping at a retail store if they encountered empty shelves, according to a nationwide survey commissioned by Galleria Retail Technology Solutions, a leading provider of retail and category optimization solutions. Long checkout lines are another big turnoff (64%).

Birmingham, Ala. -- Hibbett Sports Inc. said that its third-quarter profit jumped 27%, amid strong demand for shoes and apparel. The results beat Wall Street expectations and Hibbett raised its earnings forecast for the full year.

For the quarter ended Oct. 29, the sporting-goods chain reported net income of $16 million, up from $12.6 million in the year ago period. Sales increased 11% to $185.2. Same-store sales rose 7%.
 

Chicago -- Up to 60% more shoppers will enter stores on Dec. 26 than on the same day last year, according to ShopperTrak, the world's largest provider of retail and mall foot traffic counting services. The reason for the increase is due to the calendar: Shoppers will come out in full force on the day after Christmas because it falls on a Monday for the first time in six years. That day will rank third in foot traffic for the holiday shopping season, surpassed only by Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and Super Saturday, the Saturday one week before Christmas.

Third-quarter results at Target were pretty darn good, but they were actually even better than they seemed depending on how one compares this year’s number to the prior year performance. Profits grew 10.2% to 82 cents in the third quarter compared with 74 cents the prior year, thanks to a 4.3% same-store sales increase and ongoing improvement in the company’s credit card business. 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Healthy growth in both sales and earnings at Hibbett Sports during the third quarter indicate that sports-related merchandise remains in demand despite an overall weak economic market.

If you’re someone who puts off your holiday shopping until the last minute to save a few bucks by scouring for the best “deals” and taking advantage of those absolute bargain basement prices, I’m afraid you may be in for a rude awakening this holiday shopping season. If my sense of the retail landscape is correct, I think it’s possible we’ll see prices increase as Christmas gets closer.

Philadelphia -- Checkpoint Systems, a leading global supplier of shrink management, merchandise visibility and apparel labeling solutions for the retail industry, announced that it is partnering with Books-A-Million to improve the retailer’s loss prevention program and enhance its customers’ shopping experiences through its electronic article surveillance (EAS) solution.

Boston -- O’Reilly Auto Parts, one of the largest auto parts retailers in the United States with over 3,700 stores in 39 states, has chosen OneView Commerce’s Enactor Commerce Platform as the foundation software for delivering point-of-sale and other commerce solutions to its stores nationwide.