Predictive Analytics

New York -- Retailers may soon be getting an assist from the weather, according to a Friday report from Planalytics. Businesses should be prepared for a demand spike in seasonal products as consumers react to the change in conditions, the report advises.
 

Cincinnati -- KSS Retail, a division of Dunnhumby, announced that Bi-Lo Holding, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based parent company of Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, has extended its business relationship with KSS Retail to include price modeling and optimization services for the Winn-Dixie banner.

OMAHA, Neb. — ConAgra Foods has been named to two leading sustainability indices. For the second straight year the company has earned a spot on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and for the first time, the company has been added to the Carbon Disclosure Project’s (CDP’s) 2012 Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Thursday it has launched an expansion of its solar initiative in Arizona at its Buckeye distribution center near Phoenix.

According to the retailer, the distribution center will feature Walmart's largest solar installation to date with over 14,000 solar panels on a 1 million-sq.-ft. building and parking canopies that will produce up to 30% of the DC’s energy needs.

The solar panels will generate up to 5.3 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy per year.

By David Zahn, [email protected]

PURCHASE, N.Y. — MasterCard  has acquired Truaxis, Inc., a Silicon Valley, California-based provider of relevant credit and debit card-linked offers to consumers through merchants and financial institutions.

CINCINNATI — Kroger attributed its gains in sales and earnings in the second quarter to cost control and increased customer loyalty and was confident enough to raise its earnings guidance.

The retailer reported net earnings of $279.1 million, or 51 cents per diluted share, compared with net earnings of $280.8 million, or 46 cents per diluted share, for the same period last year.

Back-to-school shopping, the second-largest shopping season in the United States, helped make this August a strong month for retailers. Shoppers took advantage of back-to-school promotions to outfit students for the new school year. ShopperTrak, the world’s largest counter and analyzer of retail foot traffic, found that August’s retail foot traffic increased 6.3% compared with the previous month and increased 12.3% compared with the same month last year. 
   

Chelmsford, Mass. -- A report released Thursday by workforce management solution-provider Kronos Inc. found that retail experienced gains in job applications and hiring during the month of August.

Dallas -- PeopleAnswers and Real Mex Restaurants said Thursday the pair has executed a software licensing agreement that will bring the PeopleAnswers HR solution to Real Mex for pre-screening, selecting and hiring managers.