News

A number of major retail chains are leveraging a mobile app that allows scanners to read barcodes on smartphones.

Shoppers at retailers including CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Nectar, Rite Aid, Toys “R” Us, Best Buy, PetSmart, Staples, Safeway, and Giant Eagle are using the Mobeam 4.0 Beep’nGo app for Samsung Android mobile devices. The app, which can integrate with existing payment apps, allows customers to use barcode-based loyalty cards, gift cards and coupons on their smartphone at checkout scanners.

Consumers know about Apple Pay, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are conducting mobile payments with it.

According to a December 2015 survey of 1,300 U.S. household financial decision-makers, including 580 iPhone 6 users, conducted by First Annapolis Consulting Inc. awareness of Apple Pay is quite high. Among all survey respondents, 73% have heard of Apple Pay, while awareness jumps up to 84% for the sub-group of iPhone 6 owners.

The offices of Retailing Today will be closed on Monday, Feb. 15,  for President's Day, and the RT Daily Edition will not publish. RT will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, Feb. 16.

Surpassing $3 billion in annual sales last year was a big deal for Skechers and now CEO Robert Greenberg is banking on the addition of more than 300 new stores to help the company set another sales record in 2016.

Skechers plans to open between 330 and 340 stores this year, projecting it will have a year-end total of 1,650 locations, of which 575 will be company owned. The accelerated pace of expansion is easy to understand given the powerful contribution the company’s physical footprint had on its fourth quarter and full year sales and profit performance.

Surpassing $3 billion in annual sales last year was a big deal for Skechers and now CEO Robert Greenberg is banking on the addition of more than 300 new stores to help the company set another sales record in 2016.

Retail industry sales will grow an estimated 3.1% in 2016, outpacing the 10 year industry average, as economic headwinds diminish, according to a forecast released by the National Retail Federation.

The NRF sales forecast of 3.1% excludes automobiles, gas stations and restaurants and exceeds the 10 year growth rate of 2.7%. Non-store retail sales are forecast to growth between 6% and 9%.

Staples secured approval of its acquisition of Office Depot from European regulators after agreeing to numerous concessions. Now similar actions may be required if the company is to win over a stubborn U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Staples said it received approval from the European Union to acquire Office Depot, highlighted a range of actions it took to alleviate the regulator’s competitive concerns and used the action to take a jab at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Same store sales literally fell off a cliff at Citi Trends in the waning days of the fourth quarter and the operator of 522 urban fashion stores is attributing the weakness to the federal government.