Data & Analytics

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Specialty retailer Five Below Inc. beat Wall Street projections for earnings and same-store sales in a hot first quarter of fiscal 2016.

Net income was $6.8 million, up 58% from $4.3 million the same quarter a year earlier. Higher gross profit and lower expenses boosted profit. Net sales rose 25% to $192.7 million, from $153.7 million. And the company reported same-store sales growth of 4.9%.

With a couple of exceptions, May same-store sales figures reported by several major apparel, specialty and discount chains were less than impressive.

First the good news. Bath & Body Works reported a 3% same-store sales lift for May 2016 compared to the same month a year earlier. Same-store sales at Costco Wholesale Corp. and L Brands were flat, which may not sound that encouraging but was better than most other retailers reporting figures for the month.

Here is a roundup of other chains reporting negative same-store sales growth for the month.

Drones are getting a lot of attention as a means of delivering products to customers. However, Walmart is reportedly testing the applicability of drones a little further back in the supply chain.

The current school year is just ending, but consumers are already looking ahead to the fall.

According to a new survey of 300 U.S. adults who plan on leading their families’ back-to-school shopping efforts from social engagement firm CrowdTap, blogs and social media conversations rival traditional advertising formats (e.g. magazine circulars and TV ads) when it comes to what drives back-to-school purchases.

Staples is bringing the mobile and in-store shopping experiences a little closer together.

The office products giant is releasing a new interactive store map feature on its iPhone app. Currently, the offering is being piloted at 83 select stores across New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and the Seattle area.

By removing manual effort from the checkout and cash management processes in stores, Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based supermarket chain Weis Markets Inc. is making shopping easier.

Weis Markets has signed an agreement with Balance Innovations to provide its vbScout self-checkout management solution in all stores offering self-checkout, as well as VeriBalance currency management software and vbInSight corporate reporting software in all 162 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey and West Virginia.

Retailers are fairly good about making sure buy online pickup in store (BOPIS) orders are ready in a timely manner, but lacking in other aspects.

According to a new mystery shopping study of the BOPIS offerings of 30 major retailers from omnichannel commerce platform Kibo, the e-tailing group and Multichannel Merchant, “Unified Commerce and the Customer Experience,” 75% of retailers evaluated had orders ready for pickup within 24 hours.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) has asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to conduct an investigation into an organization founded by the credit card industry that sets data security standards.

According to a letter from NRF senior VP and general counsel Mallory Duncan to FTC chairwoman Edith Ramirez, the practices of the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI DSS) raise antitrust concerns.

Several factors conspired to produce a drop in net income at Village Super Market Inc. during the third quarter of fiscal 2016, despite a slight bump in sales.

Net income was $5.88 million in the quarter, down 55% from $13.21 million in the third quarter of the previous fiscal year. The prior year period including a net gain from the recovery of insurance receivables related to Superstorm Sandy and a tax benefit a result of a settlement with the New Jersey Division of Taxation.