Data & Analytics

San Diego -- Harmons Grocery, a 16-store regional chain in Utah, is reporting significant benefits from the deployment of in-store solutions from Carttronics. The retailer has implemented  Carttronics’ push-out-prevention, hand-basket protection, cart inventory management, loss prevention video capture and remote system monitoring applications at five locations, with a sixth due to come on board soon.



Plano, Texas -- Another executive hired by former J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson has apparently left the chain. Kristen Blum, executive VP and chief technology officer, is no longer with Penney, according to various reports that cited a note to investors by Citi analyst Deborah Weinswig. Penney has yet to officially announce her departure, which was also reported by Women’s Wear Daily.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced a $15 billion share buyback program at its annual shareholder meeting on Friday. It also said it expects to generate $10 billion in global e-commerce sales by the end of the fiscal year.

The new buyback program replaces the previous $15 billion plan, which had about $712 million remaining under the 2011 authorization.  

New York -- Bob Valair, director, energy & environmental management for Staples, will discuss how energy management is helping the retail chain save resources and add to the bottom line during a Chain Store Age Webinar on Tuesday, June 11, 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m PT).

Valair will also discuss Staples’ ongoing partnership with the EnergyStar program.   

Click here to register.

New York -- Same-stores sales increased 3.2% in May, edging up from a 3% gain in April, according to a preliminary tally of 12 retailers by the International Council of Shopping Centers.  

The number of retailers reporting same-store sales has dropped dramatically over the past two years, with major department store companies and discounters no longer reporting. Many specialty fashion chains are also following suit. Some experts caution that the results are now so limited they are not representative of the industry at large.

As fans of the late ’90s Ben Affleck-Matt Damon film “Good Will Hunting” know, Cambridge, Mass., is often viewed as the province of what are locally referred to as “smaht kids.” I was privileged to be surrounded by “smaht kids” (or their grown-up equivalent) during the recent MIT Sloan CIO Symposium, which was held at Kresge Auditorium on the MIT campus in Cambridge. While there, I got to listen to their insights on how the evolution of IT and business is dramatically changing the role of the CIO.

New York -- Some of the largest retailers in the United States and United Kingdom are not keeping pace at adapting their store operations to changing consumer buying habits.  

Dallas -- Regency Centers Corp. has closed on an off-market acquisition of Preston Oaks, a 103,503-sq.-ft. infill neighborhood center anchored by H-E-B Central Market. National retailers include Gap, Pier 1 Imports and White House Black Market.

Located in the Preston Hollow neighborhood of Dallas, Preston Oaks serves a market of 109,000 within a three-mile radius. Average household income is $144,000. The market’s population swells to 118,000 during the day.