Data & Analytics

Landfill operators got some bad news this week when Walmart said it prevented 81% of waste generated by U.S. stores from going to landfills. That nugget is just one example of the progress Walmart has made on its broad sustainability agenda and was among numerous others contained in the company’s 5th annual Global Responsibility Report released this week.

NEW YORK — A report released by Bloomberg showed that household confidence improved last week to match the highest level in four years. 

The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index was minus 31.4 in the period ended April 15, compared with minus 32.8 over the previous seven days. The reading equaled that from two weeks earlier as the best since March 2008.

Despite the strong showing, the monthly expectations measure fell from a one-year high, showing ongoing concerns that too many Americans are still unemployed.

By Vivek Venugopalan, Blog.wipro.com/tag/vivekv

AUSTIN — While 46% of consumers are more inclined to purchase a product if it is eco-friendly, nearly 60% are unwilling to pay more money for that eco-friendly product or service, according to new research.

Duluth, Minn. -- Apparel retailer Maurices said Thursday it has debuted a new mobile application designed to enhance its customers’ in-store shopping experience.

Austin, Texas -- Cencor Realty Services said that Jeff Nebrat has been promoted to senior VP and head of asset and property management for Cencor Realty Services’ Austin office.

Nebrat, who has been with the company for 14 years, now oversees all asset and property management operations of the 2.8 million-sq.-ft. portfolio of properties operated by Cencor in Austin. His property management duties involve leading the day-to-day operations of a portfolio that encompasses 40 retail centers with more than 500 tenants.

Walmart and other retailers have fought unsuccessfully for years to level the e-commerce playing field in the United States by requiring Amazon.com and other online-only merchants to collect sales tax. Doing so would eliminate the Internet pure play retailers’ most significant competitive advantage, and for a glimpse of just how significant that would be, look no further than Canada.

Atlanta -- The Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council has published the final installment of its five-part report on social media, which suggested that grocery marketers significantly can leverage any social media participation by simply responding to tweets on Twitter and exploring the potential of professional networking site LinkedIn.