Business Intelligence (BI)

Cleveland – The Sherwin-Williams Company reported a slight drop in net income during the first quarter of fiscal 2014, to $115.46 million from $116.18 million. Net sales fared better, rising 9% to $2.37 billion from $2.17 billion.

Christopher M. Connor, chairman and CEO of Sherwin-Williams, cited strong performance in the paint stores group, with slight offset on domestic sales from severe weather, as helping drive consolidated net sales in the quarter. Sherwin-Williams expects consolidated net sales to rise 8%-14% in the second quarter.

Building and delivering unique and connected digital beauty experiences was the rationale behind L'Oréal's selection of Sitecore as a provider of customer experience management software.

Sitecore announced that its customer experience platform was selected by The L'Oréal Group to enable their marketers to deliver personalized customer experiences for its leading brands such as Vichy, L'Oréal Paris, Maybelline and Garnier.

By Jim Rallo, president, retail supply chain group, Liquidity Services Inc.

The retail industry has seen its fair share of challenges in recent years with decreased foot traffic through stores as consumers move online to purchase products. Regardless of where consumers purchase goods, returns are an issue with the NRF estimating the amount of merchandise returned in 2013 totaling $267.3 billion.

Social sharing, editorial commerce and improved targeting are said to be among the technological upgrades leading footwear brand and retailer Steve Madden has made to its Web site.

Washington, D.C. – A rising percentage of online U.S. adults report experiencing breaches of their personal data. According to newly released data from the Pew Research Center, 18% of online adults have had important personal information stolen, such as their Social Security Number, credit card, or bank account information.

nGage Labs, a leading provider of personalized mobile engagement technology, has named Dave Alberty as CFO.

Alberty was most recently SVP and global controller of TriVita, a multi-national supplement company based in Scottsdale, Ariz.

By Jason Glassberg, co-founder of Casaba

Target’s massive data breach continues to reverberate in the headlines, but in reality it’s just one of countless attacks that affect the retail industry on a daily basis. Whether it’s highly sophisticated malware developed out of Russia, local hit-and-run point-of-sale thieves or insider threats, retailers must adapt to this increasingly risky environment.

DSW and Town Shoes Limited have entered into a definitive agreement whereby DSW will purchase for cash approximately 44% interest in Town Shoes, the largest footwear and accessories retailer in Canada, for CAD $68 million — or approximately $62 million based on current exchange rates.

The transaction has been approved by each company's board of directors and is expected to close in May, subject to customary closing conditions.