Data & Analytics

Walgreens Boots Alliance’s acquisition of Rite Aid took a big step forward with announcement of the divestiture of 865 Rite Aid stores to Fred’s Pharmacy for $950 million.   

With the retail environment undergoing the most complex changes in our generation, the sustainability of the current retail economic model is in question.    Historically, retail CFO’s, as the principal financial oficers, were primarily responsible for more traditional finance, treasury, regulatory, information delivery and related functions.   

Looking to make digital transactions safer, two credit card network powerhouses are joining forces to tokenize shoppers’ payment card credentials.   

A very tech-savvy retailer retail is expanding its fledgling physical footprint with an eye toward national expansion.    b8ta, which lets people test out products from a variety of tech companies, including many small start-up, has opened a store at University Village, Seattle, along with one at Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica, Calif. Both locations were designed by Gensler, and feature a sleek, modern design.    

Dollar sales for holiday 2016 are trending lower than last year — with some exceptions — and retailers are partially to blame.   According to The NPD Group’s weekly point-of-sale results for key general merchandise categories across in-store and online channels, dollar sales in the sixth week of the 2016 holiday shopping season  were 5% lower than the same week in 2015. Cumulatively, dollar sales in the first six weeks of the 2016 holiday shopping season were 4% behind the first six weeks of the 2015 holiday season.

While Finish Line notched up reasonable overall sales growth in its third quarter, this has been overshadowed by both very weak comparables and an almost doubling of net losses to $40.4 million.     Overall, the results are markedly worse than last quarter when total sales grew by 5.4%, aided by a 5.1% growth in comparables.  

Finish Line missed analyst estimates for third quarter earnings, an issue the company blames on declines in its apparel and accessories categories.   The athletic specialty retailer reported revenue of $371.1 million for the 13 weeks ended Nov. 26, 2016. While this is an increase of 3.0% over the prior year period, it falls short of the consensus estimate of $411.61 million.   

REI continues its efforts to lead on sustainable operations.    The retailer’s newest distribution center, in Goodyear, Arizona, has achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Platinum certification — the highest level in the U.S. Green Building Council’s green building rating system — making it the first DC in the U.S. to achieve both LEED Platinum certification and Net Zero Energy.