Business Analytics

Rent-to-own giant Aaron’s saw its revenues rise but profit drop in the second quarter, and the retailer said it would review its store base going forward.     

Kroger has reached a long-term agreement with IRI that will enable the firm to provide the nation's largest grocery chain with market measurment serices that further enhance its "Customer 1st" strategy.

In one of the largest acquisitions in its history, Oracle Corp. has agreed to buy cloud-software provide NetSuite for $9.3 billion, or $109 per share in an all-cash deal, the companies announced Thursday.   “Oracle and NetSuite cloud applications are complementary, and will coexist in the marketplace forever,” said Mark Hurd, CEO, Oracle. “We intend to invest heavily in both products — engineering and distribution.”  

Supervalu Inc. on Wednesday lower-than-expected profit for the first quarter amid ongoing efforts to spin off its Save-A-Lot division.   The supermarket operator reported a profit a profit of $46 million for the quarter, down from $61 million, in the year-ago period. Adjusted for charges related to the potential separation of Save-A-Lot and other factors, earnings declined to $53 million from $65 million last year.   Supervalu’s net revenue fell 3.9% to $5.20 billion.  

The world’s biggest online retailer took a big step to move drone deliveries forward.   Amazon has entered into a partnership with the British government that will allow the retailer to test and develop new drone delivery systems.  

While consultants have argued for decades that workforce management (WFM) is a mixture of art and science, it is neither. It comes down to profit and applying practical – not over-engineered – workforce management practices that enable higher performing retail operations.   

Starbucks Corp.’s revenue fell short in the third quarter even as its earnings were in line with expectations.       The company posted $5.24 billion in consolidated net sales for the quarter ended June 26, up 7% over the year-ago period, but below analysts’ expectations of $5.33 billion. The increase was primarily driven by the opening of 1,876 net new stores over the past 12 months and a 4% increase in global comparable store sales.    

When it comes to shopping via mobile app, consumers favor one retailer above all others.   Not too surprisingly, Amazon.com’s general dominance of digital retailing extends to the mobile app arena. According to new data from SurveyMonkey Intelligence, Amazon has more than 30 million monthly active users (MAU) of its mobile app in the U.S. This means about one in 10 Americans uses the Amazon app every month.  

Adhering to its company motto of “Quality Shopping Malls in Compelling Markets,” PREIT reached an agreement to sell the Washington Crown Center in Washington, Pennsylvania. At the same time, it announced it had put the Beaver Valley Mall up for sale.   In a press release, PREIT noted it had embarked on a portfolio optimization program focusing not just on new properties, but on new types of tenants that could fuel growth.  

Burlington Stores Inc. is upping its guidance for several key fiscal metrics in the second quarter of fiscal 2016.   The retailer now expects second quarter adjusted net income per share to total $0.28 to $.30, up from a previously announced range of $0.20-$0.23 per share and compared to $0.19 in the same period the previous year. Burlington Stores also currently anticipates adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) in the range of $88 to $90 million, compared to the prior year figure of $75.4 million.