Predictive Analytics

Naperville, Ill. -- OfficeMax swung to a fourth-quarter profit as the company retailer continued to cut costs, though sales declined in both its contract and retail segments.

OfficeMax reported earnings of $12.7 million, compared with a year-earlier loss of $2.58 million. Revenue decreased 2.4% to $1.77 billion. The chain expects sales to be flat for 2011.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has named Cindy Davis EVP of its global consumer insights business unit created two weeks ago as part of a larger corporate restructuring.

Davis, who joined Walmart in 2007 and previously served as EVP membership and marketing for Sam’s Club will continue to report to Sam’s Club president and CEO Brian Cornell, although she will be responsible for understanding broad consumer trends world wide and to create advanced analytical tools to support the business.

New York City -- Information Builders, a provider of business intelligence solutions, announced that Helzberg Diamonds has standardized on the WebFocus BI platform to provide advanced analysis and reporting capabilities to managers at 230 stores across the United States.

New York City -- One-third (29% ) of consumers across eight major economies have been victims of credit-card fraud in the past five years, according to the 2010 Global Card Fraud Survey by ACI Worldwide, an international provider of payment systems.

It was almost all good news for Advance Auto parts this week, as the company reported record fourth-quarter sales and profits. Fourth-quarter earnings per share increased 46% to 57 cents compared with 36 cents during the comparable period the prior year, and full-year profits rose to $3.95 from $2.83 the prior year.

Quincy, Mass. -- The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. announced it is using fuel-cell technology, at its store in East Torrington, Conn.

The fuel cell, a UTC Power PureCell System Model 400, was supported with a grant from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund's On-Site Renewable Distributed Generation Program and is the first fuel-cell utilized by Stop & Shop. It is expected to generate over 90% of the store's electric energy.

By Lindsay Carpen, [email protected]

After a year of steadily declining delinquency rates in Target’s credit portfolio, January proved to be a month of stabilization as the percentage of those 60 and 90 days past due on their accounts held steady when compared with the prior month. Accounts 60 days past due represented 4.2% of credit card receivables in January and accounts 90 days past due represented 3.1%. Both figures were identical to levels recorded in December, but well below peak levels seen in February 2010 when the 60 and 90 day past due rates hit their fiscal year peaks of 6.1% and 4.5%, respectively.