Data & Analytics

Target and Macy’s get the nod from Citigroup retail analyst Deb Weinswig as top picks to fare well this back-to-school season. In contrast to last week’s NRF survey, which forecasts a slight decline in spending, Weinswig is of the opinion that this year broadline and drug retailers will have their strongest seasonal performance since 2006 thanks to new fashion trends, a favorable weather outlook, inflation and high-end consumer demand.

If consumers can be trusted to accurately describe their spending intentions well in advance of when they actually incur expenses then this year’s back-to-school season will be weaker than last year’s. The National Retail Federation’s annual BTS survey got a lot of attention when it was released last week because consumer data compiled by the trade group forecast a decline in spending.

American consumers may not like inflation, but retailers are enjoying the favorable impact rising prices have on their same-store sales calculations. It was evident last month when most retailers reported healthy comp increases, and more of the same could be in store for July as it appears retailers are effectively passing through increased prices to shoppers.

Seattle -- Amazon said Monday it has launched a new app to support AmazonFresh on Android phones.

AmazonFresh, a division of Amazon, is available only in the Seattle area and is a service for ordering groceries online for home delivery.

With the new application, users can shop complete grocery and selected Amazon.com aisles, choose home delivery times, view past purchases, and place orders.

The app also includes features such as barcode scanning and list functionality.  
 
 

St. Louis -- Interface announced Monday that Dollar General Corp. has signed a multi-year contract for secured managed cloud services provided by Interface.

Interface’s secure managed cloud services for Dollar General includes wide-area network management, PCI compliance, wireless access Management, IP alarm system monitoring, IP video surveillance, and interface digital voice.

London -- Britain’s largest retailer Tesco said Sunday it plans to pilot free WiFi Internet service in its stores, allowing customers to compare prices and read product reviews as they shop.

According to a Sunday report by the Financial Times, the supermarket retailer is currently testing the service in four stores, with plans to quickly roll it out after evaluating the pilot.

Tesco is thought to be the first big U.K. retailer to test free WiFi.
 

Mooresville, N.C. -- Lowe’s Cos. said Friday it has promoted M. Lee Reeves to senior VP, deputy general counsel and assistant secretary.

Reeves, who joined Lowe’s in 2004 as senior counsel, will lead the corporate transactions, intellectual property and information technology legal teams as a part of his new role.
 

SAN FRANCISCO — Gap Inc. announced that Bella Goren, CFO AMR Corp. and American Airlines Inc., has been appointed to the company’s board of directors, effective Aug. 15. She will become the 11th member of the board and will serve on the company’s audit and finance committee.

NEW YORK— Target, Kohl's and JCPenney ranked highest among discounters in consumer perception in the first half of 2011, according to YouGov BrandIndex. The company interviews 5,000 people each weekday from a representative U.S. population sample, more than 1.2 million interviews per year.

Here is YouGov’s Retail Buzz scores for discounters in the first half of 2011:

1.  Target (33.9) 

2. Kohl's (29.5) 

3. J.C. Penney (23.9) 

Kudos to Borders for not forgetting its most loyal customers as it begins the slow and painful process of shutting down operations.