Data & Analytics

Seattle -- REI has committed to having all of its electricity from renewable sources. The retailer already has 26 solar electric systems generating clean power and a program designed to invest in energy efficiency. Now, REI is buying certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) as part of its strategy to green the energy that powers more than 130 stores, two distribution centers and its headquarters.

Denver -- Chipotle Mexican Grill said it will hike prices for the first time in three years, saying that customer loyalty will insulate the chain from pricing fallout.

New menu boards reflecting the 3%-5% higher prices will be in place at all restaurants by this summer, said Chipotle.

Deerfield, Ill. -- The rapid adoption of Walgreens’ Balance Rewards loyalty program, with nearly 80 million members, has earned the chain a ranking among top business technology innovators in the U.S.

Walgreens is ranked No. 60 on the 2014 InformationWeek Elite 100.

 San Mateo, Calif. – Social media monitoring and management software provider Viralheat is adding integration with the Salesforce Desk.com customer support app to its analytics platform. Viralheat is designed to allow businesses to perform all of their social content needs within a single social management platform.

Bethesda, Md. – Enterprise mobile and Big Data solutions and services vendor Digital Management Inc. (DMI) has acquired KnowledgePath, a provider of mobile and omni-channel commerce solutions. With the addition of KnowledgePath, DMI offers an integrated solution set for enterprise mobility, Big Data, mobile and e-commerce.

Irving, Texas -- Three months after the country’s largest arts and crafts chain revealed that its namesake and subsidiary stores had been hacked in what promised to be a major payment card security breach, Michaels Stores revealed late Thursday that 2.6 million cards were likely affected in the attack.

Those looking to understand how the retail industry will perform in the second quarter and beyond can gain an interesting perspective from the outlook shared by one of the world’s largest diversified packaging companies.

MasterCard is in the process of acquiring Pinpoint Pty. Ltd., an Australian provider of loyalty and rewards services to financial institutions across the Asia Pacific region. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2014.

Pinpoint was founded in 1984. Headquartered in Sydney, it has a growing footprint across the region into markets such as China, Hong Kong, India, Taiwan and Japan. Its customer base includes financial institutions and merchants.

Nike has elected Michelle A. Peluso to the company’s board of directors. Peluso is CEO of Gilt, an online shopping destination offering its members top designer labels at up to 60% off retail.

Michaels assured customers a previously disclosed data security issue had been fully contained and raised the disconcerting prospect that it is only possible to make such a claim after a breach has been detected.

The company said in January that it learned of possible fraudulent activity on some U.S. payment cards that had been used at it stores. An extensive investigation ensued that involved two independent security firms who, along with the company, worked closely with law enforcement authorities, banks and payment processors to determine what happened.