Data & Analytics

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — Office Max's retail website, OfficeMax.com, was named a 2012 Best of the Web award winner. The fourth annual Best of the Web Compuware Application Performance Awards showcase leaders in web and mobile site performance across several major industries nationwide.

Mooresville, N.C. -- Lowe’s announced that Lara Lee will join the company as SVP customer experience design, effective Feb. 25. She will report to Robert J. (Bob) Gfeller, customer experience design executive.
 
Lee joined Lowe’s from global design and innovation firm Continuum, where she served as chief innovation and operating officer.

Lee will be responsible for translating business strategies into integrated, multichannel experiences that deliver value to home improvement consumers.

Dallas -- Zale Corp. on Thursday posted a better than expected second quarter profit as sales rose at its namesake chain and it cut selling and administrative costs. The company restated its forecast that it will return to profit for its current fiscal year, which ends in late July.

Net profit in the quarter ended January 31, 2012, rose to $41.2 million, compared with $28.8 in the year-ago period.

Revenues rose 1.1% to $671 million. Overall same-store sales increased 2.8%, with a 3.6% increase at Zales and Zales Outlets.
 

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl's is continuing its partnership with TED, the nonprofit organization that provides a platform for innovative thinkers, with a donation of $1.5 million to continue its education-based opportunities for youth.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — HSNi Inc. reported that its fourth quarter net sales grew 7% over the prior year to $982.9 million. HSN's net sales increased 7% to $683.8 million, including 11% growth in digital sales. Cornerstone's net sales for the 13-week period in 2012 increased 6% to $299.1 million, including 14% growth in digital sales, compared to the 14-week period in 2011.

GAAP diluted EPS from continuing operations increased 27% to $1 compared with 79 cents in the prior year. 

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway Inc. reported net earnings from continuing operations of $1.06 per diluted share for the fourth quarter which ended Dec. 29, 2012. This includes a $0.12 per diluted share benefit from legal settlements. When you exclude this benefit, earnings per diluted share is 94 cents. This represents a 58% improvement in earnings per diluted share over last year when the settlements are included and a 40% improvement when the settlements are excluded. 

WASHINGTON — The Lenovo ThinkPad T430s topped TopTen USA's list for energy-efficiency.

The nonprofit group, appaluded he fact that the laptop uses only 7.4 kilowatt hours of electricity in a year of typical use. The average comparable model uses 28 kWh per year—almost 4 times the energy.  On average, TopTen-listed laptops use about half (48%) the energy of comparable models.

General Motors’ director of information technology, Kim Clower, and Walmart vp of strategy for innovation, governanance and communications are keynote speakers for the 9th annual Women in IT Conference.

The event, presented by the Information Technology Research Institute at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, will focus on celebrating innovation and developing opportunities for women in technology. It will be held at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, Ar.