Data & Analytics

New York -- Doug McMillon, CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, said the company plans to ramp up the company's pace of partnerships and acquisitions as part of a broader strategy to better compete with digital rivals, Bloomberg reported.  

“We’ve been more acquisitive lately, especially for talent,” McMillon said, according to the report. “And our pace of acquisitions, I think, is going to accelerate.”

St. Louis -- Brown Shoe Company’s first quarter results exceeded expectations as the retailer swung to a profit. The company said it is raising its annual forecast.

Brown Shoe reported net earnings for the quarter of $15.4 million, compared to a net loss of $10.8 million in the year-ago period.

Net sales for the quarter increased 0.4% to $591.2 million, from $588.7 million for the prior-year quarter.

Phoenix -- PetSmart has named Phil Bowman to the position of executive VP of customer experience effective June 30. He will report directly to David Lenhardt, president and chief executive officer of PetSmart.

Bowman has extensive experience in brand-building, digital marketing, ecommerce and customer data analytics, as well as the creation of an integrated customer experience. Most recently, he served as chief marketing officer at TD Ameritrade, one of the world’s largest online securities brokerage companies.

Mooresville, N.C. – Lowe’s has released its 2013 Corporate Sustainability Report, which highlight its efforts to promote the well-being of its employees, its communities and the environment. The report includes Lowe's first set of public sustainability goals, which establish new targets for energy use, carbon emissions and waste for the year 2020.

By 2020, Lowe’s aims to achieve the following milestones for energy use, carbon emissions and waste, measured against a 2010 baseline:

San Jose, Calif. – Second quarter 2014 will be less of a hardship for retailers than the first quarter, which started off the spring season on a negative trend across the metrics of traffic, conversion rate and sales per store (SPS). Data from store analytics technology provider RetailNext indicates that compared to the second quarter of 2013, traffic at brick-and-mortar stores nationwide will be down 6%, SPS flat and sales down 4%.

Hong Kong - Michael Kors Holdings attributed impressive growth in net income, total revenues and same-store sales during fourth quarter 2014 to strong global demand for luxury items. Net income for the three months ended March 29 rose 59% to $161 million, from $101.1 million last year.

Total revenue increased 53.6% to $917.5 million. from $597.2 million. Same-store sales grew 26%. The addition of 101 corporate stores and 150 licensed stores, including concessions, also helped fuel results.

Woonsocket, R.I. – CVS is launching Specialty Connect, a specialty prescription services program that allows to bring their specialty prescriptions to any CVS/pharmacy location, as a complement to existing specialty pharmacy processes.  

San Francisco - Revel Systems, has launched its iPad POS system for drive-thru. This expands Revel Systems' product offering for fast-food and enterprise-level clients, providing them with a fully integrated video chat experience with their tablet-based POS system.

Fort Myers, Fla. – Higher costs reduced profits at Chico’s FAS Inc. during the first quarter of fiscal 2014 even as net sales grew. Chico’s reported net income of $39.88 million, a 22% year-over-year-drop from $51.12 million in the year-ago period.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. has formed a Digital Advisory Council as part of its efforts to accelerate its digital transformation. Target said the council will help guide the retailer’s omnichannel strategies and push it to innovate faster, and discover new ways to leverage technology to enhance the shopper experience – both online and in stores.