Business Analytics

Oak Brook, Ill. – Ace Hardware Corp. has promoted senior director of IT business systems Rick Williams to the position of VP of information technology (IT). Reporting to Ace’s CFO, Williams, 49, will play an integral role in further driving strategic technology and systems management for Ace to shape business functions and deliver significant return on investments.

King of Prussia, Pa. – eBay Enterprise has helped its clients reduce average handle time and save money by using the NICE Interaction Analytics solution. eBay Enterprise processes roughly 17 million contacts per year on behalf of its retailers, across a full range of channels including phone, chat, email and social media. Its key focus is on lowering average handle time (AHT), delivering consistent, high quality service, and enhancing the consumer experience.

Montreal - Luxury jewelry retailer Riddle’s Group Inc. has selected the ChainDrive Fully-Integrated Retail Management platform from Multidev Technologies Inc. to improve store operations and to automate processes throughout.
         
Riddle’s Group sought out an end-to-end solution, and selected ChainDrive because of its extensive Jewelry Module which provides jewelry retailers with system features and functions that are tailored exclusively for the jewelry business.

Ace Hardware Corp. has promoted a 25-year employee to the position of vice president of information technology. 

Strong sales of tobacco products, candy and snacks helped drive Dollar General's same-store sales up nearly 4% in the first quarter as the company celebrates its 12,000th store opening this month.

Books continue to be a tough sell at Books-A-Million, which reported a decline in revenue and same store sales in the first quarter.

Revenue at Books-A-Million fell 1.9% in the first quarter ended May 2, compared to the prior year quarter. Total sales fell to $101.8 million, while the net loss was cut to $5.3 million from $5.6 million. Same store sales dropped 0.9%.

Columbus, Ohio – Big Lots Inc. beat Wall Street predictions for profit and revenue with a solid performance in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. Improved gross margin helped Big Lots increase net income by a factor of roughly 10, to $32.21 million from $3.35 million the same period a year earlier.

Net sales slipped 0.1%, staying at roughly $1.28 billion. A reduction in stores offset same-store sales growth of 1.6%.

Big Lots continued to see positive results from the steps it has taken to improve its business in the first quarter, with the retailer posting increases in profit and sales.

Same store sales rose by 1.6% in the first quarter ended May 2, reflecting better performance in its remaining stores, and income from continuing operations jumped by 13% to $32.3 million, producing earnings of $0.60 per share, beating estimates by a penny.

The CEO of Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings Inc. blamed traffic problems and lower prices of firearms for the company’s drop in same store sales in the first quarter.

Net sales increased by 9.1% to $144.5 million from $132.4 million in the first quarter ended May 2. Same store sales decreased by 0.7%.

Bollingbrook, Ill. -- Ulta Beauty came out of the gate running in the first quarter, reporting better-than-expected income and revenue amid strong same-store sales and online growth. The retailer plans to expand square footage by approximately 13% in 2015, with the opening of 100 net new stores.

Ulta Beauty said its net income increased to $66.9 million in the quarter, ended May 2, compared to $50.0 million in the year ago period.