Data & Analytics

Roseville, Calif. -- Family Dollar Stores is renewing its software contract with Revionics, which provides end-to-end merchandise optimization solutions, the supplier announced. The multi-year agreement will extend the retailer’s services with Revionics’ price optimization solutions, with Family Dollar leveraging Revionics’ solutions in each of its more than 7,600 stores in 45 states.

Arlington, Va. -- The passage of comprehensive tax reform and a more level playing field between online retailers and Main Street retailers for sales tax collection top the Retail Industry Leaders Association’s public policy priorities for 2013.

According to RILA, the retail industry pays among the highest domestic effective tax rates at 36.4% more than 10 percentage points higher than the average for all other industries.

New York -- Duane Reade announced that its 250 plus stores are integrating into Niantic Labs' new mobile game, Ingress. The drugstore chain is one of the first retail partners in the New York metropolitan area for "Ingress," which blends the physical and virtual world to create a one-of-a-kind gaming experience.

ATLANTA — Newell Rubbermaid reported that net sales in the fourth quarter were $1.52 billion, an increase of 1.6% compared with the prior year. Sales growth was largely attributable to the tools, baby and parenting and writing segments and to robust growth in Latin America, the company said.

The Global Food Safety Initiative has named three new members to its board of directors. The appointments were effective as of January 2013.

Joining the board are:

John Carter, senior director own brand and product quality assurance, Metro Cash & Carry, Germany

Anthony C. Huggett, VP quality management, Nestlé, Switzerland

Jian Xu, VP China Resources Vanguard Corporation, China

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway on Monday announced the appointment of Peter Bocian as its new executive vice president and CFO. Bocian, 58, will oversee the company's financial functions including accounting, tax, audit, treasury, investor relations, planning and business development. He will report directly to Robert Edwards, Safeway's president, and will assume his new responsibilities on Feb. 19.

U.K. department store chain, John Lewis, has named Mak Lewis as online director, effective March 4. He will join the John Lewis management board (JLMB), reporting to managing director Andy Street.

Lewis past roles include spending six years at eBay as U.K. managing director and European marketplaces director. He was most recently CEO of Collect+.

Redwood Shores, Calif. -- Oracle Corp. said on Monday it has agreed to buy Acme Packet for $29.25 per share or approximately $1.7 billion, net of Acme Packet’s cash.
 
Acme Packet, which is based in Bedford, Mass., makes networking equipment that allows customers to deliver voice, video and data across Internet networks for tasks such as video conferencing.
 

Asheville, N.C. -- Ingles Markets Inc. said Monday that its fiscal first-quarter net income increased 9%. The supermarket chain earned $11.6 million for the quarter ended Dec. 29, up from $10.6 million a year ago.

Revenue rose 2% to $932.8 million, from $918.2 million. Ingles Markets said that weekly customer visits increased 1.4% during the quarter, while the average amount that customers spent was nearly unchanged.

Ingles Markets operates 203 supermarkets in six states in the southeastern U.S.

San Francisco -- A survey released Monday by online reservation firm OpenTable found that, when Valentine’s Day bookends a weekend, it tends to benefit restaurants.

Valentine’s Day, which falls on a Thursday this year, will likely be celebrated beyond the official day, as diners continue to celebrate over the following weekend.

The Valentine’s Day survey also found that the projected check average this year is $139, which is 63% higher than the typical OpenTable check average of $85 per couple.