Data & Analytics

New York -- Saks Fifth Avenue has launched a talent acquisition page on Facebook. The new “Careers at Saks” Facebook page will allow prospective job applicants to interact directly with Saks Fifth Avenue’s talent acquisition team, search available positions and keep up with Saks Fifth Avenue. The Facebook newsfeed will include “Jobs of the Day,” career and interview tips, and other pertinent updates weekly.

PHOENIX — PetSmart shareholders should be pretty pleased with their investment now that the company's board of directors has raised the quarterly dividend. The board has approved an 18% increase to PetSmart's quarterly dividend, from 14 cents to 16.5 cents per share beginning in the second quarter of fiscal 2012.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. has launched four new corporate responsibility goals, including a commitment to making at least 50 owned-brand packaging designs more sustainable by the end of fiscal year 2016. Target’s new goals were announced in conjunction with the release of its 2011 Corporate Responsibility Report.

Plano, Texas -- In an announcement that caught the retail industry by surprise, J.C. Penney Co. said that Michael Francis will be leaving the company, effective June 18. Chief executive Ron Johnson will assume direct responsibility and oversight of the company's marketing and merchandising functions.

LOS ANGELES — Nearly half of U.S. shoppers plan to spend more this back-to-school shopping season than in 2011, according to the latest PriceGrabber survey.

Pooling responses from 4,450 U.S. online shopping consumers, with 1,509 of the respondents planning to shop this back-to-school season, 46% said they plan to spend more this year that in 2011, while 35% said they plan to spend the same amount (compared with 52% that expressed this sentiment in 2011) and 19% are looking to spend less this year (compared with 35% in 2011).

By Steve Pugh, [email protected]

Imagine this scenario:

Cambridge, Mass. -- Walmart Supercenter wins the pricing battle over Amazon and Walmart.com, according to a new study by Kantar Retail. The study evaluates how a Walmart Supercenter basket contends with its online equivalent, Walmart.com, and its key online competitor, Amazon.

The retail industry has long been chastised for not moving fast enough when it comes to technology innovation. Perhaps we are now making up for lost time as the industry has changed rapidly over the past ten years alone and retailers are investing in new solutions to keep pace. The evolution of technology has not only changed the way consumers shop, but changed the way retailers respond and how they operate.