Data & Analytics

Profits up at Toys 'R' Us amid restructuring
Cost-cutting efforts ongoing at Toys “R” Us Inc. helped the retailer report a profit in the fourth quarter.

Overall, for the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31, Toys “R” Us reported a profit of $265 million, compared with a year-earlier loss of $210 million.
Amazon is a giant step closer to drone delivery
A few months ago it seemed as though drone delivery was not going to happen for Amazon.com. Now the retailer's dreams of Amazon packages flying through the sky are a lot closer to reality, thanks to the FAA.

Amazon.com has received preliminary approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to research, develop and test drone delivery -- but that doesn't mean customers can expect their orders to arrive by drone anytime soon.

Mattress Firm to open as many as 220 stores

Mattress Firm Holding Corp. is revving up its growth in fiscal 2015, with plans to open as many as 220 new stores this year.
Exclusive: New Jet marketplace cleared for takeoff

The Next Big Thing in e-commerce is set to launch in late May according to Marc Lore, CEO of a new online Marketplace called Jet that blends aspects of the traditional warehouse club model with a new approach to dynamic pricing and fulfillment.

Lore said the Jet board of directors is scheduled to meet on May 7. At that time he expects the platform will be ready for launch and the board will pick a specific launch date within the following two week window.
Kantar Retail: Walmart leads Target in one-stop basket price study

Boston -- Walmart narrowly leads the one-stop basket assessment versus Target, according to the latest Kantar Retail basket pricing study, which examines a basket of grocery, HBA, and general merchandise items. Study findings indicate Target’s overall basket is 3.5% more expensive than Walmart’s and Walmart leads in each of the sub-baskets, with the strongest lead in general merchandise.
Notable findings from the study include:
Study: App security remains risky

Armonk, N.Y. – Mobile app use continues growing rapidly, but businesses are not keeping pace with security. According to new research from IBM and Ponemon Institute, nearly 40% of more than 400 large companies studied, including many in the Fortune 500, aren’t taking the right precautions to secure the mobile apps they build for customers.
Survey: RFID embraced for inventory tracking

Lawrenceville, N.J. - Apparel and general merchandise manufacturers and retailers are using item-level, electronic product code (EPC)-enabled radio frequency identification (RFID) to enhance inventory visibility and respond to consumer demands for omnichannel options. According to results of the 2014 GS1 US Standards Usage Survey, more than half (57%) of retailers reported that they are currently implementing RFID, and another 19% planned to implement RFID within the next 12 months.
Lowe’s rolls out KeyMe digital key kiosks

Mooresville, N.C. – Lowe’s Companies Inc. may have found the key to customer self-service. The DIY giant is rolling out new retail kiosks from KeyMe at select locations.

The kiosks enable customers to safely store a “digital copy” of their keys in the cloud and create a spare copy at their local Lowe’s in under 30 seconds. The new kiosks will be able to copy car keys, both with transponder chips and those without. This is the first time car keys have ever been able to be copied at a self-service kiosk.
French office supply retailer unifies supply chain with Symphony ETC

Paris – French office supply retailer Bruneau has selected the Symphony EYC G.O.L.D. unified retail platform to optimize its supplier and inventory performance. Bruneau plans to deploy G.O.L.D. master data management, merchandise management, supply chain management and warehouse replenishment.
Guess Q4 profit falls 23% but beats Street; online sales jump 37%

Los Angeles -- Guess reported a better-than-expected fourth quarter profit amid a 37% jump in the company’s online business and falling expenses. The apparel retailer, however, forecast a disappointing 2015, primarily due to the stronger U.S. dollar (1,190 of Guess’1,668 stores are located outside the United States and about 45% of its revenue comes from international markets).

Guess income fell to $53.9 million for the fourth quarter, ended Jan. 31, from $69.6 million a year earlier.
Facebook launching payments feature for Messenger app

New York -- Facebook Inc. is adding a new feature to its popular Messenger instant messaging service that will give users the ability to send money to friends. The Messenger app, which separated from Facebook’s main application in 2014, is one of the largest platforms in the world, with a reported 700 million users.

The new payments tool will be rolled out in the coming months in the United States for desktop computers and Google’s and Apple’s mobile platform. Facebook reportedly built the tool in house.  
Michaels profit up 18%, but issues soft outlook for 2015

Irving, Texas -- The Michaels Cos. reported Thursday its net income rose 18% to $157 million in the fourth quarter, up from $133 million in the year-earlier period. But the retailer gave a soft outlook for the year, citing, among other things, unfavorable Canadian exchange rates and the impact of the West Coast port slowdown.

Sales for the fourth quarter increased 3.4% to $1.61 billion. Same-store sales increased by 1.4%