Data & Analytics

Home Depot readies for spring with 'line-busting' mobile technology
Atlanta – Much of the country is struggling with one of the snowiest winters in history, but The Home Depot Inc. is thinking green. Home Depot has begun filling more than 80,000 positions in the U.S. as it prepares for spring, the company's busiest selling season.

The company is now recruiting for positions both in its stores and distribution facilities. From sales and cashiers to operations and online order fulfillment, opportunities available include both permanent part-time and seasonal positions. Applications must be submitted online.
Urban Outfitters beats Street with Q4 sales
Philadelphia – Urban Outfitters Inc. beat Wall Street expectations with its sales for the fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2014. Total net sales grew 12% to $1.01 billion from $905.86 million.

Same-store sales, including direct-to-consumer sales, rose 6%. For the full year, total net sales increased 8% to $3.32 billion, from $3.09 billion. Same-store sales grew 2%. For both the fourth quarter and full fiscal year, strong growth in the wholesale segment helped push up total net sales.

Expenses cut Blue Nile profits

Seattle – Rising selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses resulted in shrinking profits for Blue Nile Inc. during the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2014, despite healthy sales growth. In the fourth quarter, net income dropped 2% to $4.83 million from $4.93 million.

Net sales rose 8% to $157.47 million from $145.96 million. During the full fiscal year, net income fell 12% to $9.73 million, from $10.87 million. Net sales grew 5% to $473.51 million, from $450 million.
Study: Men shopping for groceries more

Seattle - Increasingly, men (who now compose 43% of primary shoppers) are shopping frequently for groceries and they now make just as many monthly grocery store visits as women. According to “Food Shopping in America 2014,” a study from MSLGroup and The Hartman Group, on average, U.S. grocery buyers shop three channels per week, including visits to grocery, specialty, mass merchandise, club, convenience, dollar and online stores.
P.F. Chang’s gets conversational with Neuron ESB

Scottsdale, Ariz. - P.F. Chang's China Bistro is getting conversational with its customers. The casual dining chain has selected Neuron ESB application and Web services integration software to unify backend systems that will power real-time customer communications for its P.F. Chang's and Pei Wei brands.
Shop Direct expands IBM cloud deployment

London – U.K. digital department store retailer Shop Direct is moving to a hybrid cloud model, hosted by IBM, to increase flexibility and quickly respond to changes in demand as it grows. IBM’s cloud will underpin the delivery of a suite of analytics, mobile, social and security offerings that will enable Shop Direct to improve its customers’ online shopping experience while empowering its workforce to collaborate more easily and improve productivity.
CVS Health delivers strong performance in Q4 and full year

Woonsocket, R.I. – CVS Health Corp. showed vitality with its financial performance in the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2014. Net income for the fourth quarter grew 5% to $1.32 billion from $1.26 billion.
Springtime is high-tech time for Home Depot

The fact that Home Depot is hiring 80,000 associates for its busy spring season may not seem like a big deal, but the retailer is arming these employees with unprecedented retailing technology.
Ex-Sears exec to lead omnichannel for Finish Line

The Finish Line is looking to upgrade its customer experience capabilities with the addition of a new chief omnichannel officer and executive vice president.

The company announced that former Sears executive Imran Jooma has joined the company as chief omnichannel officer and executive VP. He will be responsible for all of the Finish Line brand’s customer facing touch points including digital, store operations, the customer care center and brand marketing.
Amazon breaks new ground with 'Giveaway' tool

Amazon.com has long considered itself a pioneer of social shopping. But now the retailer has introduced a game-changing new service that allows customers to do their own social media marketing.

The new service, called Amazon Giveaway, is a self-service tool designed for Amazon customers who want to use giveaways to grow their social media followings and reward their customers and audience. Features include the ability to require contestants to follow the contest organizer on Twitter to be eligible for a chance to win a prize.
Record-setting Q4 for Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters Inc. set a record and beat Wall Street expectations with its sales for the fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2014.

Total net sales grew 12% to $1.01 billion from $905.86 million, setting a record for the company. Same-store sales, including direct-to-consumer sales, rose 6%. For the full year, total net sales increased 8% to $3.32 billion, from $3.09 billion, also another record. Same-store sales grew 2%. For both the fourth quarter and full fiscal year, strong growth in the wholesale segment helped push up total net sales.
CVS Health improving after quitting smoking

Discontinuing tobacco sales a year ago may have been the right thing to do for CVS Health, but the company’s fourth quarter results offer other retailers contemplating a similar move a glimpse of the short term impact on sales.

Non-pharmacy front of store same store sales at CVS Health locations declined 7.2% during the fourth quarter but would have registered a slight increase were it not for an 800 basis point negative impact associated with lost sale of tobacco and related products.