Data & Analytics

An average food retail store leaks an estimated 25% estimated of its refrigerant supply per year. The majority of refrigerant leaks, which are caused by a number of factors, occur in racks and cases. For an individual store, this loss can add up to a sizeable annual expense; for a regional or national chain, the costs can be even more substantial. Additionally, associated labor costs and the potential loss of business because of service disruptions when fixing a leak should be factored in.     

Sobeys Inc. has named a former Home Depot executive as the Canadian retailer's chief merchandising officer.   Lyne Castonguay will oversee all aspects of Sobeys go-to-market strategy, with responsibility for category management, marketing, data insights, research, procurement, private label and merchandising as well as the company's digital strategy.  

Pinterest is making it easier for consumers to shop and buy on its site.    The company, which claims 100 million monthly users, on Tuesday unveiled a collection of new tools, called “Shopping with Pinterest,” that includes visual search technology that lets people search for similar items shown featured in a pin (post).   

Restructuring costs helped increase fourth quarter net loss at Barnes & Noble Education Inc. to $2.8 million from $300,000 in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015.   Not all the fourth quarter fiscal news was negative, however. Total sales rose 8% to $294.8 million from $274 million, aided by a 4.5% increase in same-store sales.  

Whole Foods Market, Inc. is teaming up with a well-known analytics provider to obtain a deeper understanding of its assortment and customer base.   The specialty grocery chain has selected Nielsen as its primary U.S. analytics provider for POS data, consumer insights and industry metrics. Nielsen is working with the company to collaboratively create a customized natural and organic product hierarchy that will provide a comprehensive view of Whole Foods Market's product categories, including ingredient-level attributes.

The demise of the American mall is greatly exaggerated, held Sandler O’Neill analyst Alexander Goldfarb during a discussion of Brexit on CNBC.   “Dead mall stories are great, but when it comes time to drive earnings cash flow in stocks, that’s where those big powerhouse malls show through,” Goldfarb said. “For the global investor looking for safety and security, [it’s] U.S. real estate.”  

Wine Riot, an online resource and event creator for wine aficionados, is entering the brick-and-mortar space with some analytical assistance.   Created by Second Glass, a Boston-based wine event provider, Wine Riot provides online data about wine and also serves as a digital platform supporting in-person wine tasting events and exhibitions. As the company prepares to open its first physical store in Boston, it is deploying the RetailNext analytics solution.  

Trader Joe’s is cleaning up its act — with regards to the environment.   In a proposed settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the EPA, the chain agreed to spend $2 million over the next three years to reduce coolant leaks from refrigerator equipment at its 460 stores nationwide, and also to pay a $500,000 related civil penalty.  

Although Amazon poses a major holiday sales threat, there are steps retailers can take to produce a merry season.   According to a new survey of 1,500 U.S. consumers by marketing platform provider Signal, 42% of respondents said Amazon will be their primary holiday gift destination. Consumers who use Amazon do so because it is easy (50%), because they are Prime members (36%), and because they like the product reviews and recommendations (29%).  

The recent vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union will have the biggest retail impact on companies that have high U.K. exposure, including U.S. off-price giant TJX Cos., MarketWatch reported.    Swedish fast-fashion giant H&M is also among the retailers to be most impacted. The United Kingdom is the company’s third largest market, behind Germany and the United States.