Data & Analytics

Dick’s Sporting Goods monitors social commentary to boost customer satisfaction

If you really want to know what people think about you, you need to find out what they say behind your back. Historically this has been a tricky proposition, but the advent of social media provides an open forum where companies as well as individuals can check to see what is being said, and whether the commentary is good or bad.

Nearly two months after Sears set it free, Lands' End has named Steven Rado as SVP, chief marketing officer.

Rado will guide a team of 50 professionals across marketing operations including consumer insights, forecasting and analytics, catalog, digital marketing, customer acquisition, e-commerce, public relations and advertising.

In general, the top acquirers of 2013 logged big gains over 2012

Editor’s Note: The 25th annual Chain Store Age survey of Fastest-Growing Acquirers surveyed retail square footage purchased during the 2013 calendar year.

Lenders are lending again, the equity markets are investing again, and buyers and sellers appear to be moving retail real estate faster than last year — which was a relatively good recovery year.

Staples has unveiled a new plan called EasyTech Total Support, which provides consumers and small businesses with comprehensive technology services for both their new and old PCs, including upgrades, maintenance and installations.

The service builds on the company’s EasyTech program launched in 2007.

New York -- Aeropostale Inc. will close approximately 125 of its mall-based P.S. from Aeropostale kids’ stores by the end of its fiscal year and cut about 100 corporate jobs as part of a larger turnaround effort.

Framingham, Mass. - Staples is launching its new Staples EasyTech Total Support plan, which provides consumers and small businesses with comprehensive technology services for both their new and old PCs, including upgrades, maintenance and installations. The service builds on Staples’ EasyTech program that launched in 2007, and helps customers make more happen with their devices.

The timing of the Easter holiday this year adversely affected first-quarter sales at Publix by 1.3% — Easter fell in the second quarter this year, rather than the first quarter as if did last year — but the company still posted a 4.1% increase to $7.8 billion from last year’s $7.5 billion.

Comparable-store sales for the quarter increased 4%.

Sydney, Australia - Quick Service Restaurant Holdings (QSRH) has selected Micros Simphony for its three Australian brands, Red Rooster, Oporto, and Chicken Treat. The cloud-based Micros Simphony Enterprise solution, to be self-hosted and systematically implemented across 550-plus stores, will include point of sale, labor and the Micros Kitchen Display System (KDS).