Data & Analytics

Two experienced retail executives have joined the management team of the parent company of such brands as Men's Wearhouse and Jos.A. Bank.   

The National Retail Federation on Wednesday has lowered its annual retail sales forecast, citing government data revisions.   Retail sales for 2017 are now expected to increase between 3.2% and 3.8%, down from the 3.7% - 4.2% growth the NRF predicted earlier this year. The revision comes after the Census Bureau lowered its retail sales figures, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis downgraded its personal income and consumption figures.   

As the online delivery wars heat up, Walmart is expanding its grocery pickup service to the hometown of one of its biggest rivals.  

Eleven and counting. That's where Amazon Books stands with the opening of its newest outpost.  

Toys "R" Us' debt may have finally caught up with it.    With $400 million in debt coming due in 2018, Toys "R" Us is bringing in advisors to help the retailer weigh its options, which could include filing for bankruptcy protection. The nation's largest specialty toy retailer has hired Kirkland & Ellis, a law firm that specializes in corporate restructurings.   

Raley’s is helping its customers make more informed food purchasing decisions in-store and online.   Called the Raley’s Shelf Guide, the program features icon-based shelf tags that educate shoppers about current food trends and industry research — and also sets stricter standards for packaged food claims. Overall, the service is creating label transparency when it comes to helping customers understand packaged goods’ ingredients, food processing and nutritional value.  

A board sports apparel retailer is taking steps to blend its physical and digital retail channels.   Billabong is leveraging the Aptos Singular Commerce platform to support omnichannel retailing across its global enterprise. The cloud-based solution will merge the retailers’ physical and digital retail channels, and create a single view of customers, inventory and orders, among other operations.   

Office Depot is positioning itself to remove friction throughout its customers’ shopping experiences.    The office supplies giant is partnering with Elementum, which provides a real-time supply chain platform that unifies procurement, logistics, manufacturing and inventory operations. By leveraging the company’s cloud-based Product Graph solution, Office Depot will gain global visibility across every segment of its business operations.