Business Analytics

J.C. Penney announced a positive development on the financial front.   The department store retailer announced it has successfully completed refinancing its $2.25 billion five-year senior secured term loans, which should generate about $24 million in interest expense savings.  

Rite Aid Corp. reported disappointing first-quarter earnings and sales results in its first quarter amid pressure on pharmacy reimbursement rates.   The chain reported a loss of $4.6 million for the quarter ended May 28, after reporting a profit in the same period a year earlier. Excluding certain items, adjusted net income was $14.5 million, or 1 cent per diluted share, compared with 2 cents a year earlier.   The results fell short of Wall Street expectations.   

Wal-Mart Stores sent out a message to naysayers who say the chain’s best days are behind it.    Speaking at the Consumer Goods Forum conference in Cape Town, South Africa, Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillion said the retailer expects to add $45 billion to $60 billion of new sales during the next three years.  

The Kroger Co. topped Wall Street expectations with more than one result in the first quarter of fiscal 2016.

The second quarter of fiscal 2016 is not yet over for home furnishings retailer Havertys, but shareholders may have reason to be optimistic.   Havertys reported that sales for the quarter to date are up approximately 3.6% from the same period last year and comparable store sales are up 3.2%. Total written sales for the quarter to date are up approximately 7%, and written comparable store sales rose 6.7%.   

Customers who belong to a retailer’s loyalty program spend more — significantly more — than those who do not.   That’s according to a new study by Accenture Interactive, which found that members of retailers’ loyalty programs generate between 12% and 18% more revenue for retailers than those who do not belong. The report was based on a survey of U.S. retailers across specialty, big-box, department, drug and convenience stores.   

Using walkie-talkies for in-store communication is old school at The Container Store.   The retailer is rolling out voice-controlled wearable devices that enable hands-free communication over Wi-Fi networks to its store employees chainwide following a successful pilot.   

The blockbuster $26.2 billion purchase of LinkedIn by Microsoft may benefit retailers trying to effectively recruit and manage employees who typically do not stick around for long.   The acquisition is being touted as Microsoft’s entry into social networking, an area where the tech titan has not been that active besides holding a stake in Facebook. However, LinkedIn is primarily a professional services platform and will probably not become a major consumer touchpoint anytime soon.  

Aéropostale has received final approval for $160 million in debtor in-possession financing provided by Crystal Financial LLC.

Quality Solutions, Colwich, Kansas, a leading provider of facilities maintenance and constructions services, has changed its name to QSI Facilities.    The company has also launched a new website and introduced a new approach for overcoming “value leakage” in outsourced facilities services.