Data & Analytics

Walmart continues to gain online momentum, judging from the most recent monthly report from measurement firm comScore Media Metrix.

Walmart consistently ranks in the firm’s Top 50 U.S. Web properties report, and that was the case again in October when Walmart.com was ranked 23rd with 45.2 million unique visitors. By comparison, Target.com, which experienced some difficulties with a major relaunch several months ago, was the only other traditional retailer on the list and ranked 46th with 27 million unique visitors.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. and BOSTON — Staples announced that it is working with Gazelle, a consumer electronics recommerce service, to launch an electronics trade-in program. 

Through the program, Staples will accept the trade-in of used electronics from more than 20 product categories regardless of where they were purchased, according to the company. Eligible items that do not have trade-in value can still be sent to Gazelle for free recycling or brought to the nearest Staples store for recycling. 

Sam’s Club president and CEO Brian Cornell may have been the last of Walmart’s three divisional presidents to speak on the company’s conference call, but he had the best news to share.

Sam’s produced a 5.7% third-quarter same-store sales increase that was unaided by fuel prices, and Cornell indicated the string of seven consecutive quarters of sequentially increasing comps could be extended in the fourth quarter, with guidance that set 6% as the upper end of the forecast range. 

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. That seems to be the message implied in Walmart’s guidance for fourth-quarter same-store sales in a range of flat to up 2%. The company’s comps expectations follow a third-quarter increase of 1.3% that ended a two-year string of negative results, but appear rather muted against the backdrop of talk about the company’s gathering momentum, the effectiveness of strategies and solid positioning for the holidays.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings remains positive about its future despite reporting a wider loss for the third quarter and comps declines across its retail segments. The company reported a net loss of $421 million, or $3.95 per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2011, compared with a net loss of $218 million, or $1.98 loss per diluted share, in 2010. 

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Dollar Tree posted big sales and earnings growth for the quarter, showing that discounters remain dominant in this economy. The company reported that consolidated net sales for the third quarter were $1.60 billion, an 11.9% increase compared with $1.43 billion reported for the quarter ended Oct. 30, 2010. Comparable-store sales increased 4.8%, on top of an 8.7% increase for the third quarter 2010.

SAN FRANCISCO — Ahmad Ouri has been named president of Premier Retail Networks, a global leader in digital place-based media services. Based in San Francisco, Ouri will oversee all PRN activities and lead the development and strategic growth of the company, which is wholly owned by Technicolor.

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl’s Department Stores announced that the company has been recognized with its third Green Power Partner of the Year Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Energy and the Center for Resource Solutions. With this year’s award, Kohl’s is the first retailer to be named a Green Power Partner of the Year for three consecutive years, the company reported.