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Data & Analytics

  • Study: Retail merger activity surges in Q1

    New York - The U.S. retail and consumer sector experienced a strong first quarter in 2015 for merger & acquisition (M&A) activity, which was driven by seven megadeals (deals with a value of more than $1 billion). According to PwC's U.S. retail and consumer deals insights report, 39 deals were announced for the quarter (with values more than $50 million), up 11% from fourth quarter 2014, but down 9% from first quarter 2014.

  • North Face enhancing in-store experience with virtual reality

    New York -- Outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear retailer The North Face has collaborated with Jaunt, which provides virtual reality (VF) hardware and software, on an immersive VR in-store experience designed to boost customers’ connection to the outdoors.

    The attraction arrived in select North Face locations beginning in March in Chicago, and is now being rolled out to the company’s store in Manhattan. It transports viewers to Yosemite National Park and Moab, Utah, alongside North Face global athletes Cedar Wright and Sam Elias.

  • Lowe's introduces 3D printing at Orchard Supply

    Lowe's Innovation Labs has come up with a way to allow shoppers to customize every knob, door and handle in their home. 

  • Water Conservation

    The famous poetic line “water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink” may hold more truth than most retailers realize.

    “Less than 1% of water is drinkable and readily available, and less than 1% of that is surface water,” Jerry Yudelson, president, Green Building Initiative, told SPECS attendees.

  • REAL ESTATE’S 10 UNDER 40

    Every business magazine sports an “X Under 40” list celebrating precocious professionals. But, really, isn’t it almost always youthful drive and optimism that feeds the engine of progress?

    The stories of Chain Store Age’s 2017 list of over-achievers under 40 abound with examples of young people from different disciplines who all discovered retail real estate as the perfect channel for their passions.

  • Whole Foods partners with Instacart for Mother’s Day delivery

    Austin, Texas - Whole Foods Market and Instacart are partnering to make it more convenient to show Mom how much you love her this Mother’s Day. Using the Instacart service, Whole Foods will deliver flowers in as little as one hour across 15 major U.S. metros, along with a selection of other gifts.

  • Stop & Shop to turn food waste into energy

    Quincy, Mass. -- Stop & Shop has broken ground on the company’s first anaerobic digester at its distribution center in Freetown, Massachusetts. The state-of-the-art digester will turn food scraps into clean energy.

    As part of its sustainability efforts, Stop & Shop plans to donate and divert as much food waste and unsold food as possible to regional food banks and farms. But food that cannot be donated will be sent to the digester. The supermarket retailer has set a long-term goal to divert 90% of waste going to landfills.

  • Bi-Lo personalizes digital coupons

    Jacksonville, Fla. - Bi-Lo Holdings, parent company of Bi-Lo, Harveys and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, is launching a new smartphone app and improved website for each banner that now delivers personalized digital coupons based on each customer’s shopping habits. Bi-Lo is partnering with digital coupon provider Coupons.com to deliver the personalized coupons.

    Additional features of the new mobile app and enhanced website include:

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