Data & Analytics

Austin, Texas -- Whole Foods Market on Wednesday announced plans to debut a new store format targeted at millenials. The company said the stores are expected to begin opening next year, and the expansion will be “fairly rapid.” It did not reveal the name of the new banner.

An “intense focus” on brand-building and improved product assortments led True Value to post a loss in the first quarter.

The retailer-owned hardware cooperative posted a net loss of $1.7 million, down $2.6 million compared to net margin of $0.9 million from a year ago. The company said the net margin decrease was driven by planned investment expense incurred in connection with the implementation of the strategic plan and was partially offset by a sales increase.

Stein Mart says customers responded very positively to its spring assortment, boosting same store sales for the chain up nearly 5%.

The Florida-based company, which is planning an aggressive expansion plan for 2015, says total sales for the quarter increased 7.5%.

"We are very pleased with the response our customers are having to our spring assortment," said Jay Stein, Chief Executive Officer. "Our first quarter 4.8 percent comparable store sales increase continues the trend we saw at the end of last year and is a great way to start the year."

Staples and Microsoft are launching an innovative program that pairs customers with the right Windows device to suit their needs.

The new program is called Microsoft Match and be available exclusively on www.staples.com/microsoftmatch and in select Staples stores.

Supply chain disruptions from the West Coast port labor dispute and tighter underwriting for its in-house consumer credit curbed same-store sales at Conn’s in the first quarter.

The earlier Easter holiday put a damper on traffic at L Brands’ stores, which reported a 1% drop in same store sales for May.

But the retailer reported an overall 1% increase in sales to $724.6 million for the four weeks ended May 2, compared to net sales of $717.6 million for the four weeks ended May 3, 2014. The company reported net sales of $2.512 billion for the 13 weeks ended May 2, an increase of 5% compared to sales of $2.391 billion for the 13 weeks ended May 3, 2014. Same store sales for the 13 weeks ended May 2, increased 5%.

Dick's Sporting Goods is targeting fitness-minded women with an all-new video campaign.

The retailer has begun airing eight 15-second commercial spots and one 60-second spot on sites such as Hulu, ESPN and ESPNW, and on May 15, the commercials will debut on TV. The company says these ads are the first to target women specifically under Dick's Sporting Goods’ broader “Who Will You Be?” campaign, which launched in March.

Tarrytown, N.Y. -- DLC Management Corporation, a national owner and operator of open-air shopping centers, announced its new partnership with LOC Card, a universal card that supports merchants’ existing loyalty programs.

With LOC Card, consumers can now use one card across all participating merchants at their preferred DLC shopping center to access and engage with each merchant’s loyalty program. The LOC Card replaces that key ring full of loyalty card key tags and streamlines the process, saving time at the register.

Armonk, N.Y. -- IBM and Facebook on Wednesday announced they are teaming up to help retailers and other brands provide more personalization in their marketing efforts on the social network.

The two companies said they are now working together to integrate Facebook’s existing ad technologies, such as Custom Audiences, into IBM’s array of tools and services for retailers.

London -- Retailers worldwide lose a staggering $1.75 trillion annually due to the cost of overstocks, out-of-stocks and needless returns, according to new research from retail analyst firm IHL Group, commissioned by OrderDynamics.