Data & Analytics

No end in sight for The Finish Line
Sports apparel retailer The Finish Line topped Street estimates for its first quarter, turning in a solid performance in a challenging retail environment. The company reported net income of $9.63 million for the period ended May 28, down 29.9% from $13.73 million in the year-ago quarter, amid higher costs. Net sales rose 2.28% to $453.52 million, higher than expected, from $443.39 million in the same quarter last year. Same-store sales increased 1.5%.
New e-commerce platform seeks to reshape women’s apparel shopping
Determining if an online clothing purchase will fit properly is a challenge for many women. Launched in May 2016, e-commerce site Fovo curates apparel selections that are tailored to female shoppers’ specific body shapes. “The way forward is personalization,” said Fovo cofounder Kiana Anvaripour in a Chain Store Age interview. We want to help women optimize the experience of shopping online for apparel so the ‘endless scroll’ doesn’t exist.”

TechBytes: Cool technologies at Wayfair Next innovation lab

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Wayfair Next innovation lab at Wayfair’s downtown Boston headquarters. My genial hosts, Wayfair co-founder Steven Conine and Wayfair Next director Mike Festa, explained the lab’s mission and let me demo some very cool technologies.
Survey: So far, so good for 2016

Retail tenants are not only reporting a strong performance for the year so far, but are also optimistic about the next six months.
Analysis: Is Ralph Lauren Corp. moving away from luxury?

Ralph Lauren Corp. made headlines with its June 7th announcement that it planned to close 50 stores and lay off 1,000 employees as part of a restructuring in response to lower sales. The announcement didn't go into specifics about the luxury brand’s plans to correct its course. But some industry insiders speculate that the background of Ralph Lauren CEO Stefan Larsson, who took the reins of the company in September, holds the key.
Survey: So far, so good for 2016

Retail tenants are not only reporting a strong performance for the year so far, but are also optimistic about the next six months.
Q&A: Wayfair travels ahead of the IT curve

Chain Store Age recently visited Wayfair Next, the in-house innovation lab in the Boston headquarters of online home furnishings retailer Wayfair Inc.

Steven Conine, co-founder of Wayfair and Mike Festa, director of Wayfair Next, discussed the lab’s mission and the importance of innovation in retail.
Nimble small- to mid-level retailers steal share from larger, traditional chains

Think online is the biggest challenge traditional retailers face? Think again.
Home goods retailer falls short in Q1

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.’s first quarter profit declined amid flat sales and increased expenses that cut into its bottom-line. The company’s profit fell to $122.6 million from $158.5 million in the year-ago period, less than analysts had expected. Sales remained flat year-over-year at $2.74 billion, also below estimates. Same-store sales decreased 0.5%.
Apple stores add cool new summer class for kids

Apple is training the next generation of coders — in its stores. The company is expanding its Apple Camp workshops to include a course designed to teach children the basics of coding, Techcrunch reported. The “Coding Games and Programming Robots” course, open to children ages 8 to 12, will also allow kids to program Sphero robots.
Fast-fashion giant profit slides; remains upbeat about store growth

H&M isn’t letting a weak second quarter performance stand in the way of its ambitious expansion plans. The Swedish retailer’s profit in the quarter, which ended May 31, fell 17% to 5.357 billion Swedish kronor ($649.6 million), according to MarketWatch, as unusually cool weather dimmed sales of spring clothing and a strong U.S. dollar added to its costs. The strong dollar will have a negative impact on purchasing costs for the third quarter and a neutral effect in the fourth, the chain said.
Boots UK and IBM bring omnichannel functionality into the store

Boots, the U.K.-based pharmacy and beauty retailer, and IBM announced that Boots has launched Sales Assist, an IBM MobileFirst for iOS app, across its U.K. stores to make it easier for customers to find the products they need. Sales Assist is one of the 100-plus enterprise-focused apps that IBM has produced in collaboration with Apple for iPhone and iPad, aimed at a range of specific industries and professions.