Data & Analytics

Claire's Stores blamed currency exchange rates and store cloures for its decrease in revenue in the fourth quarter.

The specialty retailer said that for the period ended Jan. 30, net sales were $402.6 million, a decrease of $9.8 million, or 2.4% compared to the fiscal 2014 fourth quarter. The company said the decrease was attributable to an unfavorable foreign currency translation effect of non-U.S. net sales, the effect of store closures, decreased shipments to franchisees and a 0.2% decrease in same-store sales.

A few days after announcing a new fulfillment center in Edgerton, Kansas, Amazon.com is unveiling plans for another new center that will serve customers a little further west.

Amazon plans to open a seventh California fulfillment center in San Bernardino, where the company launched its fulfillment center in the state in 2012. The retailer currently employs more than 12,000 full-time hourly associates at its six existing California locations and says it will hire more than 1,000 full-time employees in the new San Bernardino facility.

Helzberg Diamonds knows its clientele expects quality, both in merchandise and in the service they receive.

So the Kansas City-based, 230-plus-store specialty jewelry retailer is implementing Oracle Retail XStore POS software, as well as other third-party customer engagement and payment processing technology. With retail system integration services provider BTM global handling all implementation, Helzberg will obtain point-to-point encryption, tokenization and EMV certification.

If the major suppliers of soft goods such as clothing and accessories to retail stores are a bellwether of the economy, then the coming months are looking to provide a jolt as 75% of these suppliers expect retail sales to significantly outpace the gross domestic product for the spring and summer shopping season.

That’s one of the major findings of a new survey conducted by Capital Business Credit.

Production and shipping delays related to its new collection of modern furniture, which it also has launched as a standalone business, are taking a toll on Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. as the high-end retailer issued a weak outlook for the current quarter.

Restoration Hardware (RH) reported its fourth-quarter earnings slid to $33.3 million, or 79 cents a share, from $42.5 million, or $1.02 a share, a year earlier. On an adjusted basis, the company earned 98 cents a share, which fell short of its own projection released in February.

Haverty Furniture Company has been around since the late 19th century, but the specialty furniture retailer has a decidedly 21st century approach to energy management.

“We want Havertys to be the company everyone wants to come work for,” said Rawson Haverty Jr., senior VP of real estate and development, Havertys, during a session at Chain Store Age’s SPECS 2016 Conference, March 13 – 15, in Dallas.

When it comes to generating e-commerce revenue, retailers should focus heavily on customer retention.

According the fourth quarter 2015 E-commerce Quarterly report from online marketing technology provider Monetate, despite making up less than half of all e-commerce sessions (48%), returning visitors spent nearly $5.3 billion online. That figure is almost twice as much money as new visitors spent during the same timeframe ($2.7 billion).