Data & Analytics

AUSTIN, Texas — Whole Foods Market announced that all fresh beef, pork and chicken sold in its U.S. stores is now certified under the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating system.

SAN FRANCISCO and DULUTH, Minn. — DemandTec, an optimization network for retailers and consumer products companies, announced that it has partnered with the Labovitz School of Business & Economics at the University of Minnesota Duluth to support the university's new program training students with skills for careers in the retail and consumer products industries.

New York City -- Rising fuel costs, higher commodity prices and increasing international market demand for food are pushing food inflation higher and higher, according to the Food Marketing Institute’s U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report released Tuesday.

Dallas -- Weiss Markets has selected Retalix's Demand-Driven Replenishment solution to optimize its overall in-stock position and reduce excess inventory and out-of-stocks in its stores.

“We wanted a system that could provide demand-based forecasting and replenishment and assist us in optimizing our inventory. Retalix's Demand-Driven Replenishment solution was the ideal fit," said Bob Mawyer, VP of information technology at Weis Markets, Sunbury, Pa., which operates 164 stores.

Austin, Texas -- DMX announced it is the new music, systems and messaging partner for Bass Pro Shops.

Bass Pro Shops is using a custom mix of country music that is delivered via the DMX ProFusion technology. DMX is also providing all the sound systems for each location and will enhance the listener experience with more speaker coverage with 46 additional speakers.

Woonsocket, R.I. -- CVS Caremark released its 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, which provides an overview of the company's commitments to environmental stewardship, improving patient health outcomes, ensuring its continued status as an employer of choice, and positively impacting people's lives through its social investments.

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Three Rite Aid stores have been awarded Energy Star certification for superior energy performance by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA awards the Energy Star certification to buildings that rank in the top 25% of similar buildings nationwide in terms of energy efficiency and meet strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.

St. Louis -- Build-A-Bear Workshop lost $2.3 million in the first quarter, compared with a profit of $1.7 million in the prior-year period.

The retailer reported revenue of $96 million for the 13 weeks ended April 2, down 5% from $101.4 million a year earlier. Same-store sales were down 9%.

The company said the quarter’s results were adversely impacted by the shift of the Easter holiday and associated school vacations, which moved into the second quarter this year.

San Francisco -- DemandTec announced that Tops Markets has renewed its subscription to multiple DemandTec pricing and promotion software services on the network.

A customer since 2008, Tops leverages DemandTec services across core merchandising and marketing functions that touch pricing, promotion, and collaborative deal management processes.

Dallas -- Zale Corp. announced the company’s CFO, Matt Appel, has been appointed as chief administrative officer. He will continue to serve as CFO.

Appel will be responsible for real estate, supply chain and logistics, merchandise planning and allocation, information technology, warranty, repair and credit products, as well as the ongoing management of Zale’s finance and control functions.