Data & Analytics

Chesapeake, Va. -- Dollar Tree Inc. reported Thursday that profit for the quarter ended July 28 soared 26% to $119.2 million, compared with $94.9 million in the year-ago period.

Sales rose 10.5% to $1.7 billion, just missing Wall Street’s expected $1.71 billion. Same-store sales grew 4.5%.

However, the company’s outlook fell short of Wall Street expectations, saying that it expects revenue between $1.71 billion and $1.75 billion in the third quarter while Wall Street expects $1.77 billion.
 

Los Angeles -- A PriceGrabber back-to-school survey released on Wednesday found that 48% of consumers believe retailers are offering better back-to-school shopping promotions this year.

According to the survey, 88% of consumers chose 'sales' as the top retailer promotion that will entice them to make a back-to-school purchase this year. Forty-nine percent of shoppers cited coupons; 44% noted that "free items with purchase" would persuade them to buy; and 34% selected sales available online only.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. reported Wednesday that profit for the second quarter remained essentially flat at $704 million.

Sales advanced 3.5% to $16.45 million, boosted by a 3.1% same-store sales rise in the quarter but missed Wall Street’s expected $16.75 million in revenue.

Peoria, Ill. -- Cullinan Properties announced that Kellie Schmidt has been named corporate marketing manager for the company, charged with overseeing Cullinan’s brand presence, in addition to creating and executing marketing and communication strategies.

The Annual State of the Industry Report is the centerpiece of this issue of Chain Store Age, and it’s a great read. It’s also very timely.

RICHARDSON, Texas — Fossil has named John White as EVP and COO effective Sept. 4. White will be responsible for the company's supply chain, distribution and warehousing, legal and information technology operations, with a focus on long-term strategy. He will report directly to Kosta Kartsotis, CEO.

"We are very excited to have John join our executive team. His track record of driving strategic improvements and operational excellence across large organizations will be invaluable to us as we continue our global expansion," said Kartsotis.

City of Industry, Calif. -- Hot Topic reported Wednesday a loss of $800,000 for the second quarter, tightened from a $6.2 million loss in the prior-year quarter.

Revenue rose 4.6% to $157.8 million compared with $150.9 million, and same-store sales increased 3.9%.
 

There’s no question about it: Shoppers will have more options than ever before when it comes to shopping this holiday, from where and how they shop to how they pay. Given the myriad of choices available, experts agree that one of the keys to a successful holiday season — and long-term survival — is customer engagement.