Data & Analytics

A letter that surfaced last week from Target executives to the company’s suppliers brought back memories of Tom Hanks signature line from the movie A League of Their Own about how there is no crying in baseball.

New York City -- John Donahoe, president and CEO of eBay, during a Jan. 18 earnings call expanded on the test of PayPal with retailer Home Depot.

A division of eBay, PayPal is experimenting with extending its on-line payment system to point-of-sale retail locations. In the fourth quarter of 2011, it chose Home Depot as its first national retailer for a limited test at five stores. PayPal plans to widen the pilot to 51 stores in the Bay Area by the end of the month, Donahoe said.

NEW YORK — Retailers will have to rethink their position in the market, along with strategies they have used thus far, to keep themselves in the game, according to a new Deloitte report, "The Next Evolution: Store 3.0."

Atlanta -- The Home Depot has acquired Redbeacon, an online home services platform connecting consumers with contractors for their home maintenance, repair and remodeling needs. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Redbeacon's leadership team will stay in place and will remain in San Mateo, Calif.
 

West Des Moines, Iowa -- Hy-Vee has launched a mobile app for customers to make shopping easier, faster and more social.

The smartphone app offers a number of interactive features to help customers with meal planning and preparation, gain access to store and pharmacy information and more.

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets on Monday announced it has joined the SmartWay Transport Partnership, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program, that will help the grocer assess the environmental and energy efficiency of the trucks supplying its 161 stores.

SAN FRANCISCO — Williams-Sonoma has announced that Mary Ann Casati and Lorraine Twohill have been elected to its board of directors.

“We are excited to have Mary Ann and Lorraine join our board,” said Adrian Bellamy, chairman of the board of directors of Williams-Sonoma Inc. “These two individuals each bring a unique perspective and expertise that we believe will help shape the success of our company.”

Waterloo, Ontario -- Descartes Systems Group, a provider in logistics technology, acquired GeoMicro, a California-based provider of advanced geographic information systems (GIS) and commercial turn-by-turn navigation.