Data & Analytics

New York - Crate and Barrel has joined shopkick, allowing it to deliver location-based shopping rewards simply for visiting stores. By early 2011, rewards will be delivered at all U.S. Crate and Barrel stores.

Reston, Va. - comScore reported holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 40 days of the November – December 2010 holiday season at more than $21.95 billion, up 12%  versus the corresponding days last year. The most recent week (week ending Dec. 10) reached $5.15 billion in spending, an increase of 11% versus the corresponding week last year, as two individual days each surpassed $900 million.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Borders Group reported that sales for the third quarter were $470.9 million, which is a decrease of 17.6% from the same period a year ago. On a comparable-store sales basis, sales declined 12.6%, driven primarily by the adult trade category, according to the company. Sales were also negatively impacted by Borders.com, which saw a third quarter decrease of 8.6% over the prior year to $12.5 million.

MINNEAPOLIS - Supervalu named Sherry Smith EVP and CFO. Smith had been the company’s interim CFO. She immediately assumes her new role and will directly report to Craig Herkert, CEO and president.

NEW YORK - Macy's announced that it was found to be the number one department store retailer in the United States, according to a survey of international visitors by Mandala Research.

Atlanta-based Home Depot announced it has launched a new online community designed as a place where do-it-yourselfers can discuss home improvement projects and share their expertise with each other.

Dallas -- Neiman Marcus Group reported Thursday that profit for the quarter ended Oct. 30 tripled to $25.7 million, compared with $8.5 million in the year-ago period. The retailer cited more full-price selling, higher customer traffic and lower costs for the strong performance.

The operator of its namesake and Bergdorf Goodman stores saw sales rise 6.7% to $927 million. Same-store sales increased 6.4% following a 14% plunge a year ago.

Yamaguchi City, Japan -- Fast Retailing Co. said Friday it aims to open at least 200 Uniqlo stores in the U.S. by 2020.

Asia’s largest clothing chain said it seeks to raise sales sixfold in a decade.

“The United States is one of the most important markets for us,” Shin Odake, CEO of Uniqlo’s U.S. unit, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “We want to become the number one retailer in the world.”

Basking Ridge, N.J. -- Verizon Business, which delivers integrated, secure IT solutions to many of the world’s largest retailers, said it predicts the following five trends will shape the retail industry in the coming year.

Chicago -- Jones Lang LaSalle, in a survey released Thursday, found that protecting and building the brand and driving responsible growth are the chief priorities of major retailers for 2011.

The survey, conducted by Jones Lang LaSalle at its recent Retail Executive Forum event, also revealed that the retail industry is placing increasing importance on the value of real estate as a key component of its business and brand strategies for next year.