Data & Analytics

Basking Ridge, N.J. -- Verizon Business, which delivers integrated, secure IT solutions to many of the world’s largest retailers, said it predicts the following five trends will shape the retail industry in the coming year.

Austin, Texas -- Whole Foods Market said Wednesday that its board approved a quarterly cash dividend of 10 cents per share reinstating the quarterly payment after more than two years with none. The dividend will be payable Jan. 20 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 10.

John Elstrott, chairman of Whole Foods' board, said in a statement that the decision to bring back the dividend stems from the company's strong financial position and outlook.

Atlanta -- EarthLink announced that it has completed its acquisition of ITC DeltaCom, a leading provider of integrated communications services to customers in the southeastern United States, in a transaction valued at approximately $524 million.

With the close of the transaction EarthLink will begin integrating its New Edge Networks and EarthLink Business Services operations with Deltacom and will market the combined services under the ‘EarthLink Business' brand name.

New York City -- Whole Foods Market’s store in Lake Grove has become the first supermarket  in the United States to be awarded with both a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council as well as a Three Green Globe certification from the Green Building Initiative.

The store, which opened in March 2010, is the third of Whole Foods Market’s 22 locations in the Northeast region to receive a LEED certification, and the first to be recognized by the Green Building Initiative.

By Jay Leyden, [email protected]

Today, retail companies have realized that projecting a consistent and positive brand image to their customers is a major factor in achieving customer satisfaction. That means everything from lighting standards and cleanliness to HVAC and exterior landscaping are potentially as important to their brand as, say, their advertising campaign or the quality of their products. 

El Segundo, Calif. -- Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market has announced a partnership with REC Solar, a leading solar electric system provider in the United States, to install roof-mount solar systems on nine stores in Arizona. The installation of the systems will begin in March 2011.

The combined 410 kW of installed solar systems will produce an estimated 620,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually, the equivalent of reducing 22 million lbs. of CO2 emissions -- or removing 28 million car-driven miles -- over the next 25 years.

MINNEAPOLIS - Target announced its commitment to sustainability and outlined goals it hopes to achieve over the next five years. Target's commitments to environmental sustainability, along with more on Target's sustainability efforts, are available at hereforgood.target.com/environment, the company reported.

New York City -- Neiman Marcus plans to increase spending on technology to align its in-store and e-commerce businesses, the Financial Times reported.

Sales at Neiman’s e-commerce businesses increased 16.9% during the quarter ending Oct. 31, compared with a year ago.

Karen Katz, who took over the reins as chief executive from Burt Tansky in October, said Neiman planned to “ramp up how we connect” with customers who are increasingly equipped with smartphones and tablets, the report said.