Data & Analytics

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. —-- Sears Holdings has successfully separated out its Sears Hometown and Outlet Sores businesses.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Staples is now offering its customers the chance to pre-order the latest computers and tablets optimized for Microsoft Windows 8 through its exclusive "8 Was Easy" program.

Customers can pre-order the computers and tablets online or in stores and receive free personalized training and free support. Consumers who purchase any Windows 8 PC regularly priced $699 and above will also receive free data transfer from their old computer.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Kodak is moving forward with its plans to emerge from bankruptcy and said Friday it is ready to discuss reorganization plans with certain key creditor groups.

Neil Ashe, president and CEO of global e-commerce was clearly the most excitable person on stage Wednesday at Walmart’s 19th annual analysts' meeting. And for good reason.

Walmart created its global e-commerce group two years ago and Ashe joined the company back in January. Wednesday was his first opportunity to participate in the company’s annual analysts’ meeting and he made the most of it, slipping in a first ever reference to Walmart’s online revenues that now total $9 billion.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings has been honored with a SmartWay Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for being an industry leader in freight supply chain environmental performance and energy efficiency. The EPA SmartWay partnership is a public/private collaboration between the EPA and the freight transportation industry that helps freight shippers, carriers, and logistics companies improve fuel-efficiency and save money.

Safeway reported income from continuing operations of $108 million, or 45 cents per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2012 compared with $130.3 million (38 centper diluted share) in the third quarter of 2011.

Dallas -- Alliance Data Systems Corp., a provider of loyalty and marketing solutions derived from transaction-rich data, announced its Retail Services business has signed a multi-year renewal agreement to continue providing the private label credit card program for multichannel home furnishings retailer Crate and Barrel.

This year, in partnership with Alliance Data, Crate and Barrel introduced a rewards-based credit card that allows customers to earn rewards across all three brands: Crate and Barrel, CB2 and The Land of Nod.

Organized labor was crowing this week about a protest, or was it a strike, involving 88 Walmart employees at 28 stores in 12 states who didn’t show up for work on Tuesday.