Data & Analytics

SAN FRANCISCO — Three-of-every-4 consumers using smartphones and tablets respond to a call to action after seeing a location-specific message, according to the Mobile Audience Insights Report issued by JiWire on Wednesday.

Nordstrom’s transition from a retailer best known as an operator of upscale department stores to an off-price discounter is poised to continue in 2012 as expansion plans for Rack outlet stores outpace those of full line Nordstrom stores.

New York -- Advance Auto Parts achieved record sales, profits and store expansion last year and with many of the economic factors that contributed to its 2011 success, expected to remain in place this year expectations are high that 2012 will be another one for the record books.
 

Lancaster, Pa. -- Giant Food Stores announced that roof-mounted solar photovoltaic systems have been installed and are operational at two of its locations in Lancaster and Pottstown. In-store flat panel monitors will reveal to customers in real time how the system operates and the energy savings being achieved.

San Bernardino, Calif. -- Stater Bros. will open a new, eco-friendly supermarket in Lake Elsinore, Calif., on Feb. 22.

At 43,279 sq. ft., the new Stater Bros. is over 76% larger than a smaller Stater Bros. location it is replacing. The store features refrigerated display cases with LED lighting, ECM motors, and glass doors using 60% less energy. It also has lighting system that use dimming ballasts, energy efficient lamps, and occupancy sensors.

Other environmental features include:

Fort Worth, Texas -- Chick-fil-A received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification for its restaurant at Montgomery Plaza, Fort Worth, Texas. It is the first LEED Gold-certified restaurant in Fort Worth. The chain has committed to build four more LEED designed restaurants in 2012, and will incorporate energy conservation measures and recycled materials into all new restaurant construction activities.

Supply chain optimization solutions provider Quintiq Inc., announced that Walmart selected the company’s next-generation load assignment and dispatch system to lower the total miles driven and improve fleet efficiency.

“We are delighted with Walmart's choice of Quintiq,” said Victor Allis, CEO of Quintiq. “We believe this demonstrates that no supply chain is too large or complex for our state-of-the-art supply chain optimization software.”

Despite considerable efforts by Walmart in recent years to improve its reputation, a recent Harris Interactive Reputation Quotient poll shows the company has considerable room for improvement.

The study, now in its 13th year, surveyed 17,500 consumers about their perceptions of the 60 most visible companies in America. Not surprisingly, a fair number of those were major national retailers who have become household names. Walmart ranked 41st overall on the list of 60 companies and 10 other retailers were ranked ahead of Walmart.

Ahead of Walmart's fourth-quarter sales and earnings report on Feb. 21, analysts have high expectations for the company. Reuters reported that nalysts on average expect to see the company's best U.S. sales performance in more than two years, and anticipate that Walmart's store traffic will improve.

To see more about what Reuters had to say, click here.

WASHINGTON — The monthly Global Port Tracker report, released Wednesday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates, said that import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to be down 6.8% in February from the same month a year ago. However, volumes should show year-over-year increases through most of the remaining first half of 2012.