Data & Analytics

Francesca's is adding a retail industry veteran to its board.

The retailer has appointed Martyn Redgrave as a member of the board of directors. The appointment is effective immediately. Redgrave will serve on the audit committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee.

Menlo Park, Calif. – Facebook is increasing its buy-in for the high-stakes poker game of social commerce.

According to BuzzFeed, Facebook has begun piloting online storefronts located within the pages of a number of retailers.

Seattle – Amazon.com may be preparing a pre-emptive strike against a rival e-commerce platform before it even officially takes off.

According to CNBC, Piper Jaffray Internet analyst Gene Munster says Amazon s considering a purchase of Jet.com, a subscription-based e-commerce site that is currently in beta and set to officially launch next week.

Munster said that Jet.com does a good job in gamifying the online shopping process and in selling fast-moving consumer goods, two things Amazon has not historically done well.

New York — Coming soon to a mall near you…robots?

Mike Kercheval, president and CEO of the International Council of Shopping Centers, is making the case for the use of robots in shopping malls. In an op-ed commentary on CNBC.com,  Kercheval says the robot's potential on the front lines of retail is limitless—and soon, he adds, “it will be difficult to imagine a visit to the local mall without them.”

Here are three reasons Kercheval says we need robots in malls:

Seoul, Korea – Samsung is testing a mobile wallet solution, but it may be a while before U.S. consumers get to join in the fun.

The consumer electronics giant announced in a blog posting that Korean consumers can now use a beta version of its Samsung Pay mobile payment application.

Louisville, Colo. – When it comes to filling their tanks, consumers are most satisfied by two retailers.

Wawa and Costco are the most satisfying gas station/convenience store and wholesale/grocery/big box retailers for fuel, respectively, according to a new survey of 6,935 U.S. consumers by Market Force Information.

Sidney, Neb. – Cabela’s Inc. has 400 million new reasons to feel confident about the growth of its Club Visa credit card portfolio.

The retailer has closed a $400 million securitization transaction, including $240 million of Class A-1 Notes with fixed annual interest of 2.25%, and $100 million of Class A-2 Notes with interest at a floating rate equal to one-month LIBOR plus 0.67% per year.

Dubuque, Iowa — A family-owned, fourth-generation fashion retailer located in Dubuque, Iowa, is using state-of-the-art LED lighting.

Graham's Style Store has updated its ambience and added a big dash of sparkle with the help of new lighting from Amerlux.

"Our clothes didn't change, our lighting did," explained Ben Graham of Graham's Style Store. "We redesigned Graham's to entice a whole new generation.”

Cincinnati — The Kroger Co. is sustaining efforts to be more environmentally sound and humane in its business practices.

The grocery giant released its 2015 sustainability report, which included 33,000 tons of waste recycled at 1.061 stores in 2015, a 12% year-over-year increase.

Other highlights from the report include:

Few retailers make as big an impact on the environment as Kroger, but the high performing supermarket chain has made huge progress against sustainability priorities during the past decade and now is ready to take on a new set of goals.

The company released its 2015 Sustainability Report on July 17, which chronicles progress made during the past nine years and establishes new directional priorities.