News

Ebay Inc. said it plans to cut about 2,400 positions, or 7% of its workforce, across eBay marketplaces, PayPal, and eBay enterprise in the current quarter to simplify its organizational structure.

The company also said it will explore strategic options for eBay enterprise, including a sale or an IPO.

It's the end of an era for Safeway and Albertsons, as the companies announced they have completed their merger, ending a nearly year-long process that began in 2014.

AB Acquisition LLC, the owner of Albertson's and New Albertson's, Inc., will acquire all outstanding shares of Safeway. The merger will create a diversified network that includes 2,230 stores, 27 distribution facilities and 19 manufacturing plants with more than 250,000 employees across 34 states and the District of Columbia.

Columbus, Ohio –  Express Inc. and private-equity firm Sycamore Partners announced that, despite having worked together in good faith towards a transaction during the past several months, discussions regarding Sycamore’s expressed interest in acquiring Express have been terminated. The companies said that discussions were halted due to the unavailability of financing on commercially acceptable terms.

In June, Express said it had been approached by Sycamore about a potential deal. Sycamore Partners has a 9.8% stake in Express.

Bentonville, Ark. -- In its newest move to offer more in-store financial services, Walmart is offering shoppers the option to pick up their tax refunds in cash. The new service, called Walmart Direct2Cash, is available nationwide starting Jan. 20.

According to Walmart, the option will help customers save time and money when compared to traditional tax refund options. Many people without traditional bank accounts must pay sometimes high check-cashing fees to cash their tax refund checks, the retailer noted.

By Jim Walsh, Alliance Data Retail Services

Consumers continue to engage more deeply with their smartphone… because they value what apps can do for them. They have downloaded more than 75 billion in the seven short years since the first app made its appearance on a smartphone.

The National Retail Federation “Big Show” is always a good barometer of what trends will influence the retail technology landscape for the coming year, and the just-completed 2015 edition was no exception. Based on the buzz on the show floor and at keynotes and sessions, 2015 should be an eventful and possibly transformative year in retail IT.

Here are five technology trends that really stood out.

Inventory Gets Smart

Plano, Texas – Meet the new catalog, same as the old catalog. The J.C. Penney Co. Inc. is reportedly bringing back its print catalog, often referred to as the “big book,” which the retailer discontinued in 2010.

York, Pa. -- The Bon-Ton Stores announced that Keith E. Plowman, executive VP and CFO plans to retire in August. His departure will be followed by an 18-month consulting stint.

The retailer will undertake a national search to find a CFO to succeed Plowman.

Irving, Texas – The Michaels Companies Inc. had plenty to smile about during the 2014 holiday season. Net sales for the eleven-week period from Nov. 2, 2014 to Jan. 17, 2015 increased 3.5% and same-store sales increased 1.5% from the comparable prior year period.

For the full fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, net sales are expected to be in the range of about $1.59 billion to $1.6 billion, with an expected increase in same-store sales ranging from 0.8% to 1.2%.
 

Belmont, Mass. – To ensure coupon redemption, retailers may want to take a mobile approach. A recent study of retailers using CodeBroker mobile marketing solutions showed CodeBroker mobile coupons, ranging from in-app to on-demand offers, resulted in redemption rates as high as 50%.

The study also showed that multi-channel promotions are highly effective in increasing redemption rates, while on-demand offers, in which consumers request a coupon, have the highest average rate. Other key findings include: