Data & Analytics

Five new members were named to the board of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association this week, an organization focused on the interests of social media marketers.

The Word of Mouth Marketing Association, or WOMMA, was founded in 2004 and the newest members of the group’s board include: Mark Bisard, vp and senior counsel of American Express; Christine Morrison, group Social media manager for Intuit; Kathy Baughman, president and co-founder of ComBlu; Patti Regan, president and CEO of The Regan Group and Emily Bader, EVP of strategic planning  Zocalo Group.

San Bernardino, Calif. — Stater Bros. has announced the opening of a new supermarket in Moreno Valley, Calif., on Nov. 13. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held in the parking lot at 8:15 a.m.

The 43,670-sq.-ft. store will be the fourth location for Stater Bros. in Moreno Valley.

Oak Brook, Ill. – McDonald’s reported a slight 0.2% increase in U.S. same-store sales for October 2013. Same-store sales rose 0.5% globally, which also includes a 0.8% increase in Europe and a 2.8% decline in Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation calculated retail industry job gains at 37,600 in October 2013, and 295,000 year-over-year, a 2.4% increase from 2012. Job gains were seen in every retail sector with the exception of clothing and clothing stores, which witnessed a contraction of 12,500 positions in September.

In its annual holiday sales and employment forecast, NRF predicted that retailers would see a 3.9% increase in sales and hire an additional 720,000 to 780,000 employees this holiday season.

Leading Internet grocer Peapod and supermarket chain Giant Food Stores have opened a new fulfillment center in Coopersburg, Pa.

"Peapod by Giant has seen exciting growth in the Philadelphia area and we are delighted to partner with our sister grocer, Peapod, to expand service to additional zip codes in the Giant trade area," said Rick Herring, president. "As always, we will strive to provide a wide selection of well-priced, top quality, fresh products with the ease of online shopping and home delivery."

Shopper activity increased this October, in line with ShopperTrak expectations. Total retail store shopper traffic increased 2.4% compared to September 2013. Consumers who were off work for the Columbus Day holiday (Monday, Oct. 14) took advantage of store promotions to update their cold-weather wardrobes. Many others hit the stores to gather costumes, candies and other necessities for Halloween (Thursday, Oct. 31).

The Shop Your Way loyalty program Sears Holdings introduced in 2009 has been given interesting new social functionality with the introduction of Store Pages.

Ashburn, Va. — One Loudoun Downtown, a joint venture of Miller and Smith and North America Sekisui House, has announced the opening of a 23,800-sq.-ft. The Fresh Market.

One Loudoun is a 358-acre master planned community in Loudoun County, Va., that includes 1,040 homes, 702,000 sq. ft. of retail, a luxury hotel and three million sq. ft. of office space.

The Fresh Market currently operates 144 stores in 26 states.