Data & Analytics

Ulta Beauty is on fire — offline and on.

The specialty beauty retailer plans to open 100 new stores in 2016 while also pursuing new merchandising initiative to enhance the productivity of existing locations.

Businesses throughout North America can expect above normal temperatures in most markets over the Easter weekend (March 25-27), according to Planalytics.

The strongest warmth compared to normal will be along the West Coast and from the Plains to the East Coast. The Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast regions can expect intermittent showers leading up to the Easter holiday.

Best Buy Co. Inc. is expanding a series of programs and partnerships designed to ensure the availability of a crucial IT component – human talent.

As part of this ongoing initiative, in spring 2016, the Best Buy Teen Tech Center network will open four new centers that offer year-round after-school programming. And from May through September, more than 6,000 students will attend free Geek Squad Academy (GSA) two-day sessions in communities around the country.

Consumers have spoken, and there is a definite number of retailer emails that crosses the line.

According to a new survey of more than 1,000 U.S. shoppers from customer targeting technology provider First Insight, the average consumer subscribes to 2.3 retailer email lists and receives 13.1 emails a week from these lists.

Cato Corp., just delivered its highest earnings in company history and sales topped $1 billion, but chairman, president and CEO John Cato said the road ahead could be rocky.

Cato, operator of 1,372 stores in 32 states, said its fourth quarter sales increased 4% to $247.3 million and same-store sales increased 1%. Full year sales increased 2.4% to slightly exceed $1 billion, but the addition of 31 new stores was the primary driver of full year growth as same-store sales were flat.

Technology-themed sessions were in abundance at Chain Store Age’s 52nd annual SPECS conference, which was held March 13-15 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. The conference focuses on store planning/design, equipment, construction and facility services, and IT is slowly but surely becoming a much bigger part of this end of the retail enterprise.

Here are three technology-related learnings from the conference.

Buildings get smart

Finish Line has hired a high power technology executive to make sure it avoids recent technology implementation challenges in the future while keeping pace with athletic footwear consumers’ desire for an omnichannel experience.