Data & Analytics

Staples is opening a dedicated e-commerce and engineering center in Seattle that will house teams responsible for driving major initiatives to enhance areas, including next generation digital platforms, personalization, and big-data. It will be the chain’s first office on the West Coast.

Walmart held another one of its Global Sustainability Milestone Meetings on Thursday and shed new light on priorities and initiatives that promise to have far-reaching implications on suppliers as well as competitors.

The highlight of the meeting was an update on the company’s Sustainability Index which has been rolled out to 200 product categories and 1,000 suppliers with a total of 300 categories and 5,000 suppliers expected by year end, according to the company.

Sandpoint, Idaho -- Coldwater Creek Inc. narrowed its second quarter loss to $16.4 million from a year-earlier loss of $17.6 million.

Revenue was down 8.5% to $149.7 million, below the $163 million estimate from analysts. Same-store sales fell 7.3%.

President and CEO Jill Dean said sales were lower than planned in the latest period largely due to a deceleration in traffic in July.

Philadelphia -- The Pep Boys – Manny, Moe & Jack reported net earnings of $5.4 million for the second quarter, down from $33 million in the year-ago quarter.

Sales for the quarter increased 0.4% to $527.6 million, from $525.7 million for the prior-year quarter. Same-store sales dipped 1.3%.

The company is looking for heavier consumer demand for tires to help turn around disappointing net earnings and same-store sales trends during the second quarter of fiscal 2013.  

Corte Madera, Calif. -- Restoration Hardware Holdings reported a net loss  of $17.8 million for the second quarter, compared with net income of $17.6 million in the same quarter a year earlier, due to charges linked to stock awards given to chairman and co-CEO Gary Friedman.

Net revenues for the second quarter of fiscal 2013 increased 30% to $382.1 million from $292.9 million last year.

New York – Abercrombie & Fitch has extended its contract with GT Nexus to expand its cloud supply chain strategy and improve visibility into the movement of orders, payments and goods. The retailer has automated its procure-to-pay process in the cloud using GT Nexus to create a transparent workflow environment for purchase orders, invoices, amendments and settlements.

Since 2010, Abercrombie & Fitch has used the GT Nexus platform to support international sourcing and supplier collaboration.

Mountain View, Calif. -- Best Buy was the most effective retail brand overall during the 2013 back-to-school advertising season for the second year in a row with an average Ace Score of 561, performing 15% higher than its retail peers, according to TV and video advertising data from Ace Metrix.

Office Depot was the second most effective back-to-school retail advertiser with an average Ace Score of 540.

San Jose, Calif. -- Adobe Systems Inc. is upgrading Adobe Target, an element of the Adobe Marketing Cloud, with aims of easing the optimization of digital marketing efforts. The new solution features a completely redesigned, touch-based interface, as well as a step-by-step framework, with built-in best practices, for creating and implementing A/B testing and targeting activity.

By Greg Slusser, [email protected]

A case on the California Supreme Court’s docket questions whether or not a common law duty requires retailers to have automated external defibrillators (AEDs) ready to use in stores to treat sudden cardiac arrest, which strikes about 380,000 Americans each year and is the leading cause of death in the U.S.

SANDPOINT — Traffic to specialty retailer Coldwater Creek dropped in July leading to lower-than-expected sales for the second quarter ended Aug. 3. The company is taking several steps, including bringing in a new chief marketing officer, in an attempt to turn things around. 

Consolidated net sales for the quarter were $149.7 million, compared with $163.7 million in second quarter 2012. Net sales from the retail segment were $118.6 million, compared with $129.9 million in the same period last year.