Business Intelligence (BI)

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens announced plans to build what the company believes will be the nation’s first net-zero energy retail store. The store, which is predicted to produce energy equal to or greater than it consumes, will be located in Evanston, Ill., at the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Keeney Street, where demolition of an existing Walgreens store now is under way.

Arlington, Va. -- Sustainability teams in retail companies are growing, and reporting levels are gaining seniority, according to a new survey by the Retail Industry Leaders Association.

The report, RILA’s second Retail Sustainability Report, was done in sponsorship with Ernst & Young, The survey uncovered six significant trends, specifically that:

1. Sustainability teams are growing. Most companies surveyed have full-time sustainability teams. Teams are growing, and reporting levels are gaining seniority.

Cincinnati -- The Kroger Co. on Thursday reported a better-than-expected profit for its fourth quarter profit amid a surge in sales.

For the period ending Feb. 2, Kroger earned $461.5 million, compared to the year ago period when the company reported a loss of $306.9 million as pension costs dragged down results.

Revenue rose 12.8% to $24.2 billion. Same-store sales increased 3% for the quarter, excluding fuel. After adjusting for the extra week in the fourth quarter, total sales increased by 3.7% over the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011.

DOVER, N.H. — Zander Livingston, CEO of Truecount Corp, an RFID software provider, announced that Truecount is introducing a new Software as a Service (SaaS) pricing and deployment model that places inventory visibility and all other RFID benefits within the reach of any size retailer. 

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot announced that the company’s global headquarters, located in Boca Raton, Fla., has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star certification for the second consecutive year. The certification signifies the building performs in the top 25% of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples reported Wednesday that profit for the quarter ended Feb. 2 fell 72% to $78.1 million from $283.6 million, impacted by store closings and other charges.

Revenue edged up 3% to $6.57 billion, boosted by an extra week in the period. Results missed Wall Street’s expected $6.71 billion in revenue. Same-store sales fell 5%, excluding e-commerce revenue.

For the full year, Staples lost $210.7 million, compared to net income of $984.7 million in the year-ago period. Annual revenue dipped 1% to $24.38 billion.

HANOVER, Germany — SAP announced that it has enhanced its OnDemand software solution to empower businesses to know their customers like never before, guide them through each step of the buyer's journey and groom customers to become loyal brand advocates. 

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets on Tuesday reported net income of $82.5 million for the 52-week period ended Dec. 29. Even with one less week of sales, that's up 9.2% versus fiscal 2011, which was a 53-week period, the grocer noted. Sales were down slightly by 1.9% to $2.7 billion compared with the week-longer year-ago period. Comparable sales were down 2%. 

Adjusting for the 52-week to 53-week comparison, the grocer's 2012 net income increased 13.9% while sales and comparable store sales were flat.

MINNEAPOLIS — Paint manufacturer Valspar, has named James Muehlbauer EVP, chief financial and administrative officer, effective March 11,2013. Muehlbauer will replace Lori A. Walker who will retire in April.

AMSTERDAM — Keeping stores open during Hurricane Sandy was one of the factors that contributed to an increase in total store sales and comps in the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2012 for Ahold USA, the supermarket operator's Dutch parent company said Thursday.

Ahold attributed its 4.3% increase in sales in the fourth quarter, to $6.1 billion, partially to the Hurricane Sandy effort. The quarter also saw comps increase by 2.4%, while full year sales were $25.8 billion, a 3.1% over 2011, as comps increased by 1.4%.