Data & Analytics

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples Inc. reported Wednesday that its net income in the second quarter declined 20% to $81.88 million, from $102.53 million in the prior year.  

Its results included $101 million of pre-tax restructuring and other related charges primarily associated with its closure of 80 stores, along with its plan to close approximately 40 stores in North America during the second half. (Staples had previously announced the planned closings.)

Sales were down 2% to $5.22 billion, which topped analysts' estimates.

Salisbury, N.C. -- Delhaize America banner Food Lion has unveiled a new shopping experience for customers in 31 stores in the greater Wilmington, North Carolina, market, and has announced plans to remodel 45 stores in Greenville as part of the grocery’s "Easy, Fresh and Affordable…You Can Count on Food Lion Every Day" strategy.

New York -- McDonald's named Julia Vander Ploeg as its first VP of digital in the U.S., as part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen its digital presence, Ad Age reported.

Vander Ploeg will report to company’s chief digital officer, Atif Rafiq, who joined McDonald’s in October.
 

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. on Wednesday reported a 61.7% drop in Q2 earnings. The chain also lowered slashed its annual profit outlook as it continues to deal with weak results in Canada, sluggish U.S. sales and the lingering effects of its data breach.   

Target earned $234 million in the quarter ended Aug. 2, down from $611 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue rose 1.7% to $17.4 billion, slightly above the $17.38 billion analysts had expected.

Pittsburgh -- American Eagle's second-quarter net income was down 70% amid weak sales. But its results were better than analysts estimates.

For the period ended Aug. 2, American Eagle Outfitters Inc. earned $5.8 million, down from $19.6 million a year earlier.

Revenue decreased 2% to $710.6 million from $727.3 million, topping estimates of $689.5 million. Same-store sales fell 7%.

New York -- Overstock.com will allow international customers to pay in Bitcoin, beginning on Sept. 1. The move makes the online retailer, which started accepting Bitcoin for domestic orders in January, the largest American retailer to extend the payment option to foreign customers.

Overstock plans to introduce a new payments system on its international website, O.co, that will allow customers to make purchases using the virtual currency, the New York Times reported.
 

San Francisco -- Kenshoo, a provider of predictive media optimization technology, and RevTrak, a promotions platform that drives and measures in-store sales through digital coupons, announced the results of a partnership uniting offline conversions and paid search performance for omnichannel optimization for Staples Canada.

New York -- Taxi app company Uber introduced a trial service on Tuesday, offering on-demand delivery of medicine, toiletries and other drugstore products.

Uber is testing the "Uber Corner Store" over the next few weeks in parts of Washington, DC.