Data & Analytics

Plano, Texas  -- J. C. Penney said that its same-store sales rose 10.1% for the fiscal month ending November 30, 2013.  The retailer's stock was up 4.6% to $10.57 percent in after-hours trading Tuesday.

New York -- Visa reported that Black Friday weekend e-commerce sales across smart phones, tablets and PCs conducted by U.S. Visa accountholders increased 30% to $7.8 billion.

The company also noted that Cyber Monday ruled the five-day period with spending on Visa cards up 28% to $2.6 billion while Thanksgiving Day saw a 30% jump to nearly $1 billion.

San Bruno, Calif. -- Walmart said that Cyber Monday 2013 was the biggest online sales day in its history.

The top-selling items at Walmart.com on Cyber Monday included the following:

Kansas City – Applebee’s will roll out 100,000 E la Carte Presto tablets, powered by Intel, on every table and multiple bar positions at more than 1,800 Applebee’s restaurants in the U.S. by the end of 2014. DineEquity, franchisor of Applebee’s and IHOP restaurants, will also consider the tablets, which enable guests to add to their orders, pay and play games from their seats, will also be considered for introduction at IHOP locations.

San Jose, Calif. -- Retail Next announced today the acquisition of Nearbuy Systems, a provider of location-based Wi-Fi Analytics solutions for retailers. Based in San Mateo, Calif., Nearbuy is the largest provider of in-store opt-in analytics, enabling retailers to enhance one-to-one engagement and personalization strategies.

Mechanicsville, Va. – Supervalu is shipping goods to its grocery stores across the Eastern region with a much smaller carbon footprint, thanks to the recent addition of 35 Class 8 Volvo trucks that operate on compressed natural gas (CNG). The fleet is the largest of its kind on the East Coast, and the company plans to add another 20 trucks next year.  

Ann Arbor, Mich. – Domino’s is running a special global Facebook promotion giving customers in 42 countries a 50% discount on menu-priced pizza ordered online. Through Dec. 8, customers can visit their country’s Domino’s Facebook page to see if they can redeem the offer.

New York – Give your project the recognition it deserves — enter Chain Store Age’s 32nd annual Retail Store of the Year design competition. The entry deadline is December 23, 2013.

More than 20 competition categories are featured, including department stores, supermarkets, discounters, restaurants, convenience stores, specialty stores, service, sustainability and pop-up stores. This year, for the first time, the competition also includes the category of in-store digital innovation.

Gloucester City, N.J. — Nest International, a leading facility maintenance management firm, has appointed Joni Mayo to the position of VP of sales. Mayo brings 30 years of proven sales, marketing and operations leadership experience. Mayo joins Nest from Sylvania Lighting Services where she led sales in excess of $49 million in 2012.

By Connor Marsden, U.S. Lead, Microsoft Dynamics CRM