Data & Analytics

Boulder, Col. -- Publix Pharmacy is North America’s favorite based on customer satisfaction, according to a new study of 3,600 consumers conducted by customer intelligence solutions provider Market Force Information. Target was a close second and Kroger ranked third. All three received high marks in operational attributes such as service, cleanliness, atmosphere and checkout times.

Walgreens and CVS/pharmacy ranked the highest when those consumers were asked to name their pharmacy chain, with 18% identifying Walgreens and 17% CVS.  

Naperville, Ill. -- OfficeMax has opened a digital innovation collaboration center (called Digital IC2) in its headquarters in Naperville, Ill.

Pittsburgh -- Dick’s Sporting Goods on Wednesday detailed its long-term plan to deliver sales and operating profit growth and drive shareholder value over the next five years, with the company’s namesake stores, new Field & Stream retail format and omnichannel platform driving its growth.

When it found the performance of a legacy data-processing system lagging too far behind the pace of its business, Alpharetta, Georgia-based The Original HoneyBaked Ham Co. of Georgia, Inc. decided to investigate more current options. Difficulties keeping up with the flow of transactional data from its 115 corporate stores and 200 franchise locations during the 2011 holiday season marked the turning point for the retailer.

Phoenix -- Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has completed the implementation of the Manthan Systems ARC BI platform and merchandise analytics technology in 166 retail stores across eight states.

Roseville, Calif. – Revionics, Inc. and Nielsen Holdings, N.V., have signed a multi-year global strategic alliance agreement which will integrate Nielsen Pricing Insights with Revionics Life Cycle Price Optimization solutions. The alliance brings together Nielsen competitive market data with demand-based predictive analytics to help retailers quickly make data-driven pricing changes at enterprise scale to capitalize on competitive marketplace conditions.

New York -- New York City drugstore operator Duane Reade, a division of Walgreens, on Tuesday celebrated an important social milestone — surpassing one million followers on Twitter — with a gala event at the chain’s flagship on Wall Street. From September 2012 to date, the regional retailer has organically grown its Twitter following by 6,709%, making it one of the fastest-growing accounts on Twitter year over year. With 1.1 million followers at latest count, the chain is believed to be the most followed retailer in the drug, food and mass arena.

Wayne, N.J. -- Toys "R" U widened its loss in the second quarter on lower sales at its stores in the United States and Europe. The company reported a loss of $113 million, compared with a year-earlier loss of $36 million.

Net sales for the quarter, ended August 3, dropped 6.9% to $2.38 billion. Same-store sales declined 3.5% in the U.S. and 3.8% abroad. The retailer attributed the decline primarily to decreases in the juvenile and entertainment (which includes electronics, video game hardware and software) categories.

Seattle -- Starbucks Corp. said that Troy Alstead, CFO and chief administrative officer, has been promoted to CFO and group president, Global Business Services.

Alstead’s promotion is a recognition of the increasing responsibility and complexity of his role overseeing Starbucks global financial, technology and supply chain operations and ensuring that the company’s overall business infrastructure is optimized to support the company’s global growth.

Dallas -- PeopleAnswers and New York & Company announced a software licensing agreement for the specialty apparel chain with more than 500 stores nationwide to use the PeopleAnswers HR-focused business solution to recommend employee candidates who can guide their customers to make smart fashion purchase decisions.