Data & Analytics

Aliso Viejo, Calif. — Johnny Rockets plans to open 25 new domestic stores during 2015 and 100 new domestic stores by 2017 via franchise expansion.

The casual dining chain is targeting the following U.S. cities for franchise growth in its Johnny Rockets, Johnny Rockets Express and Johnny Rockets Route 66 banners: Tucson, Arizona; Houston, Bridgewater, New Jersey., Gainesville, Florida; and Bakersfield and Fresno, California.

Fast growing grocery delivery service Instacart is adding a value-oriented chain to its network of grocery stores.

The company announced it is teaming up with Smart & Final to allow customers in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area to choose from virtually any items carried at their local Smart & Final store and have them delivered in as little as one hour.

Prices on Instacart will match Smart & Final's everyday low in-store prices, excluding special offers.

Armonk, N.Y. — Retailers looking ahead to meeting the needs of holiday shoppers should be aware of the continuing growth of mobile’s importance as a consumer channel. According to IBM’s Eighth Annual Online Retail Holiday Readiness Report, mobile accounted for 23% of sales and 45% of traffic in November and December 2014, respectively.

Charlotte, N.C. – June is the traditional wedding month, and Belk Inc. is making things easier for marriage-minded customers with a new wedding registry app. The Android and iOS app offers features including a registry checklist and tips for brides and grooms-to-be.

In addition, a thank you note assistant automatically tracks gifts and givers. Users can also set up a registry and scan items directly from mobile devices.

Target’s annual meeting was pretty much a non-event on June 10, aside from the fact that a corporate structure in which Brian Cornell serves as both chairman and CEO doesn’t sit well with many shareholders. 

Hangzhou, China — Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. will reportedly launch a paid streaming video service in China in August 2015. According to Reuters, the service will be called Tmall Box Office (TBO) and offer both originally developed content and content from third-party providers.

A nine month search is over for automotive retailer Pep Boys who turned to rental car giant Hertz for a new CEO to lead the 800 unit parts and service chain.

Pep Boy had been looking for a new CEO since last September when former CEO Mike Odell stepped down after seven years with the company and longtime board member John Sweetwood was tapped to fill the CEO position on an interim basis.

The nationwide expansion of the Facebook Place Tips in-store mobile promotion service, complete with free proprietary Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons, was interesting news.  Here are three implications of Facebook’s latest effort to serve as a commercial platform: