Data & Analytics

Back to school sales appear to be rebounding this year after experiencing sluggish growth over the past three years (2013-2015).   That’s according to First Data’s Back-to-school SpendTrend report, which is based on aggregate same store sales activity in the First Data point-of-sale network.   Some of the most significant findings include:  

Mike McNamara, a former executive at British retailer Tesco PLC, joined Target as CIO last summer, moving from London to Minneapolis.   In a Q&A on Target’s website, McNamara discusses highlights of his first year with the discounter and priorities going forward. He also spoke about Target’s tech hiring boom.    

Customer data from payment cards used at Eddie Bauer stores from Jan. 2 to July 17 of this year may have been accessed by malware infecting point of sales systems, the company announced.    An investigation by a third-party digital forensics firm engaged by Eddie Bauer found that the breach was part of a concerted hack-attack targeting several restaurants, hotels, and retailers.  

Home Depot's chief merchant Ted Decker pointed to solid performance of core maintenance and repair categories, as well as many pro-focused categories during the second quarter.   So it's no wonder he said the company was "pleased" with its Q2 results.  

Back in January, Dick’s Sporting Goods launched Team Sports HQ in an effort to capture the nation’s lucrative youth sports league business. Today the company announced the purchase of the tech to get it there.  

Citing costs due to strategic rebuilding initiatives, Tuesday Morning Corp. reported a loss of $3.9 million in the fourth quarter ended June 30; however, revenue edged up to $222.8 million and same-store sales increased 6%.   According to CEO Steve Becker, pre-announced priorities – including real estate, merchandising, marketing, infrastructure and talent – continue to stay at the forefront of the chain’s activities and have positively impacted top-line performance.    

Sephora is opening its first Beauty TIP Workshop concept store in Canada.

Hibbett Sports reported fiscal second-quarter net income of $6.5 million, beating Wall Street expectations.   The sporting goods retailer posted revenue of $206.9 million in the period, a 3.9% increase but falling short of Street forecasts. Analysts expected $210.1 million.   Same-store sales inched up 0.8%.