Data & Analytics

Boise, Idaho - WinCo Foods, LLC will open its first discount supermarkets in the state of Texas on Feb. 6, in the cities of Fort Worth and McKinney. The stores are each approximately 95,000 sq. ft. in size and include WinCo's newest decor package creating an efficient, clean feel that highlights product and coordinates with the hundreds of WinCo Foods private label products the company has recently introduced.

Our industry has talked so much about omnichannel that it seems only the “aha” gets our attention anymore. Here’s the problem: Our talk is well ahead of our ability to execute. And execution is what matters.

Omnichannel isn’t sexy. It’s not about “Wow.” It’s about making it easier for people accustomed to an anything-anytime-anywhere world to do business with us. That’s primarily a question of organization, commitment and execution, for manufacturers as well as retailers.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation on Monday urged Congress to take a comprehensive approach as it contemplates a national response to criminal cyber attacks in which millions of consumers’ credit and debit card numbers were stolen. NRF said retailers are willing to do their part to improve security, but that banks and card companies must also take major steps to shore up the current fraud-prone payments system.

New York -- Sports Authority has hired Jeremy Aguilar as CFO. Aguilar, who most recently served as CFO of Hhgregg, replaces former Sports Authority CFO Tom Hendrickson, who retired from the company.

“Jeremy’s expertise in finance and accounting will play a critical role in further strengthening Sports Authority,” said CEO Michael E. Foss. “He will be a valuable asset to the team; we are thrilled to have him on board.”

A proliferation in the ways shoppers engage with retailers and consume content across platforms has transformed traditional marketing and spawned new approaches to measuring advertising effectiveness.

This week digital measurement leader comScore said it had joined with the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) to expand a cross-platform measurement service that provides a continuous view and measurement of media suage across TV, radio, desktop, smartphone and mobile.

Asheville, N.C. – Ingles Markets, Inc. reported net income of $9.5 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2014, down 18% from $11.6 million during the same period a year earlier. Net sales rose 1.1% for the quarter, to $945.1 million from $935 million.

Grocery same-store sales decreased 0.8%. In addition, operating expenses rose, which may have contributed to the decline in net income. Robert P. Ingle II, CEO of Ingles, also cited holiday price-cutting measures.

New York -- In a study of the returns and refunds performance of the 25 largest online retailers, StellaService found that the majority of retailers evaluated aren’t meeting consumer expectations.

StellaService analysts ordered the same product from each retailer to be delivered to the three separate regions of East, West and Midwest. They then returned the product, tracking metrics such as the presence of a prepaid, adhesive return label, total time to receive a return authorization and refund speed. The average refund speed of was 10.7 days.

Whirlpool reported record earnings in 2013 for the full-year and three months ended Dec. 31, with net earnings more than doubling over 2012.

The company reported net earnings of $827 million compared with last year’s $401 million. Additionally, fourth-quarter earnings of $181 million were 48.4% above year-ago figures.

Overall, net sales for the appliance manufacturer were $18.8 billion for the year — a 3.5% improvement — and $5.09 billion for the quarter, up 6.2% year-over-year.