Data & Analytics

Weakening demand for guns and ammunition contributed to a 6.2 percent decline in same store sales at outdoor retailer Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings.

The comp decline was offset by an increase in new stores which allowed the company to grow sales by 4.3 percent to $182.5 million and end the third quarter on Nov. 1 with 55 stores. Profits on an adjusted basis to exclude non-recurring expenses were $8.9 million, or 21 cents a share, compared to $7.1 million, or 17 cents a share.

Omnichannel retailing is increasing the reach companies have to their customers, but the strategy is also increasing customer expectations.

According to a survey of marketing decision-makers in omnichannel consumer products organizations from SAP, 86% of respondents agree that omnichannel has meant that customer and consumer expectations of the organization have increased. Eighty-six percent also agree that the benefits of investing in an omnichannel approach to consumer sales clearly outweigh the challenges.

Big Lots hypothetical core customer Jennifer isn’t feeling so cheerful this holiday season as the nation’s leading closeout retailer is eyeing a low single digit fourth quarter comp increase.

Plano, Texas –  Hoping to boost its holiday mobile traffic, J.C. Penney has enhanced its digital presence, including an all-new JCPenney iPhone app. Along with improved navigation, faster browsing and easier access to coupons, one notable feature of the JCPenney app is the ability for customers to scan the barcode of an item to find its availability on jcpenney.com   

San Jose, Calif. - Cyber Monday (Dec. 1) saw nearly 30% more online shopping activity than any other shopping day during the 2014 Thanksgiving-to-Cyber Monday holiday timeframe. Data from SLI Systems outlining e-commerce activity across online retailers in the U.S. during the five-day period reveals that Cyber Monday at 10:00 PM EST was the peak online shopping hour.  Nearly 40% of the online shopping was conducted on mobile devices. Other key findings from the study include:  

  San Francisco – Although email is at the point it’s often considered a “legacy” technology, a slight majority of consumers still prefer it for holiday communication from retailers. According to a new consumer survey from Salesforce, 53% of respondents said that email is their preferred communication channel during the holidays.  

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears Holdings Corp. reported a third quarter fiscal 2014 net loss of $548 million, up from the $534 million loss it reported in the year-ago period but smaller than its previously estimated. Cost-cutting measures helped Sears reduce its net loss growth. The discounter also revealed that  it plans to close a total of 235 underperforming stores in 2014, which is nearly double the projection of 130 it made in August.  Sears said eliminating those stores should boost EBITDA by $50 million.  

New York - On the heels of its eight straight quarterly loss, Aeropostale said it would close about 75 stores in the current quarter, and could close 50 to 75 more namesake locations in 2015, and 126 P.S. from Aeropostale stores by the end of January.   The struggling teen retailer reported a net loss of $52.3 million in the third quarter ended Nov. 1,  up from $25.6 million, in the year ago period. It also forecast a bigger-than-expected fourth-quarter loss.  

Anaheim, Calif. – Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. reported a $469,000 net loss in the third quarter of fiscal 2014, compared to net earnings of $17.7 million the same period the prior year. The loss, which included a charge stemming from a $60 million term loan with Golden Gate Capital, was smaller than expected by Wall Street and driven by one-time charges.   Net sales were $212.3 million, up 4.4% from $202.8 million.    Same-store sales rose 4%.   

New York – An increase in selling, general & administrative (SG&A) expenses helped increase net loss at New York & Company Inc. to $9.7 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2014, up from $3.4 million a year earlier. Net sales declined 3% to $210.6 million from $217.3 million, and same-store sales dropped 3.4%.   New York & Company cited soft performance in its wear-to-work category and the impact of product delays resulting from West Coast port labor issues as negatively impacting sales.