Data & Analytics

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Family Dollar has named Trade Area Systems, a supplier of enterprise market knowledge systems for retail, its IT Strategic Partner of the Year. The award was presented during the company’s fifth annual IT Strategic Partner Summit.

Family Dollar worked with Trade Area Systems in September 2012 to implement TAS Unity, an editable, data-collection software system that allows real estate managers to input photos and comments about stores, competitors and opportunities directly into the system from their mobile devices.

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble has filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of Ohio against CAO Group, a manufacturer and distributor of dental products. The lawsuit alleges that CAO Group is violating P&G's intellectual property by manufacturing and selling its “Sheer White,” “Sheer FluorX” and “Sheer DesenZ” products.

P&G is suing CAO Group in order to protect its investment in its technology and its Crest Whitestrips business.

OAKLAND, Calif. — Columbia Sportswear is headed to the Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference, being held May 21-23, in Phoenix, Ariz., to share insights and best practices for deploying cloud technology alongside GT Nexus. 

Fred Pond, VP, CIO of Columbia Sportswear, and Kurt Cavano, chief strategy officer at GT Nexus, will share lessons learned from Columbia's technology approach to executing global procure-to-pay processes in which buyers, suppliers, financial institutions and other key third parties operate on the same cloud platform.

Seattle -- Nordstrom Inc. reported its first quarter net income fell a greater-than-expected 3%, hurt by weak demand for spring merchandise and softer performance in the Northeast and Midwest. The company also lowered its full-year sales forecast.

The results were a rare miss for the upscale department store chain whose shoppers have proved resilient throughout the uncertain economy.

Houston -- Stage Stores reported a loss of $6.9 million for the first quarter, compared with a loss of $418,000 for the year-ago period, as the retailer dealt with cool weather that put a damper on sales of spring apparel.
 
"The unseasonably cool weather in March and April, particularly when compared to last year's warm spring, strongly impacted our sales performance," president and CEO Michael Glazer said.

Revenue rose 4% to $378.6 million from $365.7 million. Same-store sales inched up 0.7%.
 

New York - Ethnic consumers represent strong potential for retailers, according to new data released by the Nielsen Company. For example, the 43 million African-Americans in the U.S. (about 14% of the population) buy more hand and body lotion products than the average consumer.

Seattle -- Online jewelry retailer Blue Nile has appointed Mindy Meads to its board of directors. Meads previously served as co-CEO of Aeropostale and president and CEO of Victoria’s Secret, among other executive posts in a 35-year apparel retail career. She also serves on the board of Wet Seal.

New York -- Brixmor Property Group has appointed Michael V. Pappagallo as president and CFO, effective May 20.

Pappagallo will play an integral role in the execution of Brixmor's long-term business and capital markets strategy.  In addition, he will lead the company's finance and accounting teams, as well as have functional oversight of its property operations, information technology, acquisitions/dispositions and investor relations efforts.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Co. reported a deeper-than-expected loss of $348 million for its first quarter, compared to $163 million in the year-ago period, amid a 16.4% decline in revenue. The results came as the company seeks to undo the damage caused by former CEO Ron Johnson’s costly and largely failed makeover.

INDIANAPOLIS — Kohl’s plans to leverage cloud technology so it can focus on core business and meet peak seasonal demands. To that end, the company has entered into a long-term, multi-year contract to migrate its contact center to the Interactive Intelligence Communications-as-a-Service solution.