Data & Analytics

Digital interactions are expected to influence 64 cents of every dollar spent in retail stores by the end of 2015, or $2.2 trillion, according to Deloitte.

The owner of Corner Bakery, Arby’s and Batteries Plus, among other national retailers, has acquired Pet Supermarket.

Atlanta-based private equity firm Roark Capital Group says Pet Supermarket will remain headquartered in Sunrise, Fla., and continue to be led by CEO Diane Holtz. Pet Supermarket operates 155 pet specialty retail stores in 11 states generating over $300 million of revenue.

New York -- While most retailers are shrinking their footprints, Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM) is doing just the opposite, opening the nation’s largest home furnishings store. Located in the new 433-acre Grandscape mixed-use development in The Colony, Texas, the two-level store has a whopping 560,000 sq, ft. of selling space (equivalent to about nine football fields). Including its on-site warehouse, the space totals more than 1.8 million sq. ft.

Toronto -- Canadians are not flocking over the border as much as last year, according to a recent cross-border shopping survey by marketing research firm GfK. Deterred by higher US exchange rates, Canadians are less willing to make the drive, despite the wider product selections available stateside.

Los Angeles – Net loss at American Apparel Inc. grew to $26.4 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2015, from $5.5 million the same quarter a year earlier. Increased cost of sales and foreign currency translation, as well as legal, litigation and consulting costs related to the termination of founder/CEO Dov Chaney, helped boost net loss.

San Francisco – Gap Inc. reported disappointing sales for April and the first quarter, hurt by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange and sliding sales at its namesake and Banana Republic divisions. Also, earlier timing of the Easter holiday, as compared to 2014, benefited the company’s March sales results and negatively impacted its April sales results.

Total same-store sales fell 12% in April, worse than predicted. Sales at Old Navy declined 6%, while sales at Banana Republic plunged 15%. Same-store sales for Gap fell 15%.

Cupertino, Calif. – Apple Inc. is reportedly holding discussions with Alibaba Holding Group Inc. and several Chinese banks to launch Apple Pay mobile payment in China. According to the Xinhua official Chinese news agency, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he is “bullish” on Apple Pay in China and thinks it could gain traction more quickly in China than it has in the U.S. since its September 2014 launch.

San Jose, Calif. – The shift of the Easter shopping season to March 2015 from April 2014 (Easter fell on April 5, 2015, the first day of fiscal April) had a substantial negative impact on year-over-year retail sales results. According to the RetailNext Retail Performance Pulse, sales dropped 12.5% compared to the same month a year earlier, while sales per shopper (SPS) actually increased 2.4%.

Seattle - One month after Starbucks and Arizona State University announced the expansion of a benefit to pay for employees’ college education, more than 1,800 have signed up, with more than 2,200 total. The Starbucks College Achievement Plan offers 100% tuition reimbursement for all four years of college.

Brussels, Belgium – Belgian grocery retailer Delhaize Group and Dutch grocery retailer Ahold N.V. have confirmed they are engaged in preliminary discussions about a possible merger that could create one of the largest supermarket operators in the U.S. But the two companies said the talks may not result in any deal.