Data & Analytics

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Hennes & Mauritz AB reported Wednesday that net income for its 2Q dropped 18% to $673 million, from $817 million in the year-ago period.

The Swedish fashion retailer blamed higher procurement costs and promotional offers for the lagging performance.

Sales edged up to $5.1 billion from $4.96 billion in the prior year quarter, but gross margin shrank to 61.7% from a previous 65.9%.

WASHINGTON — The vitality of consumer packaged goods companies is healthy again, according to a new report issued by the Grocery Manufacturers Association and PricewaterhouseCoopers on Wednesday.

East Palo Alto, Calif. -- Ikea said Wednesday it has plugged in the solar energy installation at its store in East Palo Alto, Calif.

The 38,000-sq.-ft. array consists of a 302-kW system, built with approximately 1,344 panels. The Swedish home furnishings retailer’s program will produce approximately 427,900 kWh of clean electricity annually – the equivalent of reducing 326 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), eliminating the emissions of 58 cars or powering 35 homes yearly.

Houston -- ATM owner Cardtronics said Tuesday that its USA subsidiary will acquire EDC ATM Subsidiary, LLC and Efmark Deployment I, for approximately $145 million.

The transaction doubles Cardtronics ATM placements in multiple states, giving the company about 3,700 ATMs, as well as numerous ATM placement agreements with high-traffic U.S. retailers and ATM branding contracts with some of the country’s largest financial institutions.

Stockholm, Sweden -- Hennes & Mauritz AB reported Wednesday that net income for its 2Q dropped 18% to $673 million, from $817 million in the year-ago period.

The Swedish fashion retailer blamed higher procurement costs and promotional offers for the lagging performance.

Sales edged up to $5.1 billion from $4.96 billion in the prior year quarter, but gross margin shrank to 61.7% from a previous 65.9%.

NEW YORK — Borders' closings, and subsequent clearance sales, took a toll on Barnes & Noble's fourth-quarter results. B&N said that its 2.9% drop in same-store sales for the quarter were temporarily negatively impacted by the liquidation of over 200 Borders bookstores during that time. 

The trouble didn't end there for Barnes & Noble, which reported a fourth-quarter consolidated net loss of $59 million, or $1.04 per share. The company's total store sales were $943 million.

NEW YORK  — Samsung Electronics America has launched a first-of-its kind LCD refrigerator complete with apps for keeping track of recipes, schedules and more. 

The Samsung refrigerator includes the following apps:

• Recipes from Epicurious

• Organizational tools from Google Calendar

•  Notepad

• Entertainment from Pandora

• Photos from Picasa Web Albums

CINCINNATI — Kroger has released its fifth annual sustainability report.

 Some of the highlights noted in the report include:

• Kroger stores reduced overall energy consumption by 30% since 2000. 

• Company-wide, including all facilities, Kroger has saved more than 2.2 billion kilowatt hours.

Cincinnati -- In its fifth annual sustainability report, released Tuesday, The Kroger Co. said it continues to meet its benchmarks, including reducing in-store energy consumption by 30%.

"In 2010, Kroger stores saved enough energy to power the city of Fort Worth for a full year,” said Rodney McMullen, president and COO of Kroger. “We sent less waste to landfills, recycled more plastic, and provided our customers with five million more reusable bags.”

Dallas -- Web-based hiring assessment provider PeopleAnswers said Tuesday that The Cheesecake Factory will use the PeopleAnswers HR solution in its 164 restaurants to pre-screen and select hourly staff.

The objective is to fill each position with individuals who will help maintain The Cheesecake Factory’s quality brand.