Data & Analytics

The year 2015 was a big one for mergers and acquisitions in the retail and consumer sectors, with 31 multibillion dollar deals driving activity during the year.

United States retail and consumer (R&C) total transaction value for 2015 hit a five-year high and surpassed the $100 billion mark for the third year in a row, according to PwC’s U.S. retail and consumer deals insights 2015 Year in Review and 2016 Outlook report.

Many companies have developed robust social media platforms for marketing and advertising, but aren’t quite sure how to manage customers who visit a company’s site to lodge a customer service inquiry, simply vent or even express satisfaction with a product or service.

They simply run away from customers. Yet, these same companies would never ignore a customer phone call or email, probably because it seems more controllable than the social media environment.

Salt Lake City -- Phillips Edison & Company announced it has promoted Scott Adair to VP of Community Partnerships, effective immediately. Adair, who previously served as assistant director of Property Management, will remain based in Salt Lake City.

In his new role, created as a result of the company’s Innovation Labs’ ‘Community Engagement Initiative,’ Adair is responsible for cultivating new and managing existing relationships with community leaders to build goodwill and advance business objectives.

Destination XL increased its earnings guidance for fiscal 2015 after the men's big and tall retailer pre-announced high single digit Q4 comps and increased profit.

Online deal provider Groupon is attempting to increase supply chain efficiency in a way that will allow it to offer even more and better discounts.

Groupon is partnering with Optoro, a platform for returned and excess inventory, to better process returns for its Groupon Goods business. Groupon Goods offers discounts on physical items.

Macy’s named longtime executive Peter Sachse to a new position with added responsibility for merchandising and said Justin S. MacFarlane joined the company as chief strategy, analytics and innovation officer.

The company said the changes were part of the company’s plan to, “aggressively to grow its omnichannel business based on intensive insight into evolving consumer preferences and changing shopping patterns.”

Lowe's has added a retail veteran to its board of directors who serves on the boards of Dollar General and Books-A-Million.

Lowe's announced that Sandra B. Cochran, 57, has been appointed to its board of directors, effective immediately. The announcement brings Lowe's board of directors to 13 members, 12 of whom are independent.

Soft Surroundings has completed a dividend recapitalization that was financed through an expansion of the existing credit facility.

The women’s lifestyle retailer is in the midst of a nationwide store expansion strategy, and the new debt financing includes a designated facility to fund future store openings. The company opened 11 new stores in 2015 and has identified over 15 locations for 2016.