Data & Analytics

San Mateo, Calif. -- DemandTec said Wednesday that The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. has selected DemandTec’s Deal Management software service on the network.

Mooresville, N.C. -- Lowe’s said Wednesday it has launched a home improvement app for iPhone and iPod, now available on the App Store.

The application is designed to support customers with their home-improvement projects, and provide tools to help simplify the shopping experience.

Dallas -- Zale Corp. reported Wednesday that its loss for the quarter ended July 31 widened to $32.6 million from $28.5 million a year earlier. Its results were impacted by increased inventory charges and absent a one-time gain recorded a year ago.

Revenue rose 9% to $377.3 million, compared with $345 million in the year-ago period. Wall Street expected higher losses on revenue of $360.4 million.

Same-store sales increased 9.8% in the quarter.

Durham, N.C. -- Cree has acquired Ruud Lighting, a supplier of LED outdoor lighting, at an estimated net cost of approximately $525 million. The companies’ shared focus on best-in-class LED-based systems has led to thousands of LED lighting installations over the past several years, Cree said.

Ruud Lighting will continue to be based in Racine, Wis., and will operate as a subsidiary as part of Cree’s lighting business.
 

DALLAS — While Zale Corp. posted a nearly 10% comps increase for its fourth quarter, higher commodity costs lead to a wider net loss for the period. The company stands to gain even more in the way of sales, with additional financing options for its customers.

Hampstead, Md. -- JoS. A. Bank Clothiers reported Wednesday that net income for the second quarter surged 24.7% to $20.6 million, compared with $16.5 million in the year-ago period.

Sales rose 22.4% to $230.7 million from $188.4 million. Same-store sales increased 14.7%.

It’s been one extreme or another the past few weeks in the retail world. First, luxury retailers Tiffany and Saks reported strong sales and profits and then on Tuesday Dollar General results showed the low-end consumers have some spending power and a taste for its brand of discount retail.

Washington, D.C. -- Applied Predictive Technologies (APT) announced that Chico’s FAS has signed an agreement to license APT’s Test & Learn Management System.

Chico’s chose the solution after a pilot project which examined a range of the retailer’s promotional strategies. Using the Test & Learn approach during the pilot, Chicos’ gained valuable insights that helped it better understand its customers’ behavior.