News

Survey: Consumers had a very discounted holiday
Plano, Texas – Consumers enjoyed a very discounted holiday season. According to a new survey from Alliance Data Survey, there was a 12% increase in the number of consumers saving on holiday purchases using rewards, discount offers and coupons.
Bob’s Discount Furniture to open DC to support store expansion in Chicago
Manchester, Conn. -- Bob’s Discount Furniture has leased a 751,966-sq.-ft. warehouse and distribution building in Shorewood, Illinois, as it prepares to expand its growing retail furniture business into the Chicago area.

Bob’s, the 14th-largest U.S. furniture chain, has opened nearly a dozen new stores across the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic regions during the past two years. But this new facility marks its first move into the Midwest.

Billing plans lift Best Buy sales 3.4%

Solid sales of televisions and mobile phones in stores and online drove better than expected top line growth at Best Buy during the holidays with details on profitability yet to come.

The company said same-store sales grew 3.4% in the United States over the holidays (Nov.-Dec.) as it sold more large-screen TVs and mobile phones.
Symphony orchestrates retail start-up win

E-commerce start up Symphony Commerce is facing seriously elevated expectations now that it has been singled out by Shop.org as the company with the greatest potential to transform the shopping experience and positively impact the retail industry.
Toys 'R' Us, Ikea raise nearly $20M for kids

Holiday sales in 2014 were strong, and enthusiastic shoppers helped Toys “R” Us and Ikea raise nearly $20 million for children's charities.

The Toys “R” Us annual fundraising campaign to benefit the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation was its most successful to date, raising $6.4 million and collecting more than 220,000 toys.
Target’s U.S. business exceeds expectations

Overshadowed by Target’s bombshell announcement to exit Canada, the retailer said U.S. sales – and profits – were much better than expected during the holidays.

The favorable combination of increased traffic and stronger than expected digital sales enabled the company to produce a 3% same store sales increase during November and December versus an earlier forecast which called for 2% growth.
Sam’s Club faces new competitive threats

Jet and Boxed are two online retailers taking aim at the warehouse club channel and drawing increased funding from venture capitalists who believe the channel is vulnerable.

New York-based Boxed has raised $33 million and operates three physical warehouses in the Northeast that shoppers interact with digitally. It does not charge a membership fee.

Jet charges a membership fee and functions more like a marketplace by providing a platform for third party sellers.
Walmart hooked on fishing sponsorship

Walmart is supporting a trio of professional anglers on the competitive fishing circuit this year in an ongoing effort to align itself with sport that resonates with the retailer’s core customers.

The roster of talent Walmart is supporting this year includes 16 year Walmart FLW Tour veteran Mark Rose, 18 year veteran David Dudley and newcomer Nicole Jacobs.
Retailers aren’t giving consumers what they want

Retailers already knew they had work to do to better meet online shoppers’ expectations, just maybe not as much as revealed by new research from IBM.
Dollar General threatens lawsuit in Family Dollar bid

Dollar General issued a statement Thursday indicating the company is having trouble winning support from the Federal Trade Commission on a $9.1 billion bid for Family Dollar Stores.

Dollar General said it would “defend litigation” if necessary.

The statement could give new momentum to Dollar Tree's $8.5 billion cash and stock competing bid for Family Dollar. Meanwhile, two proxy investment firms have switched their recommendation for Family Dollar shareholders to accept the Dollar Tree offer, rather than the bid from Dollar General.
Been there, done that: Target follows Big Lots blueprint in Canada

Talk about ripping off the Band-Aid. Target Chairman and CEO Brian Cornell moved swiftly and decisively in deciding to exit Canada, however his actions aren’t without precedent.

Big Lots took similar action after it entered Canada and last fall, a month after Cornell took the helm, the prospects of Target’s exist from the market were explored in the third quarter edition of Retailing Today’s Target Supplier News publication. This is that story:
Survey: Consumers talk the talk about online, but don't always walk the walk

New York -- It appears there is a disconnect between consumer attitudes and behaviors with regards to their digital interactions. In a survey by IBM, 43% of consumers said they prefer to shop online, but only 29% actually made their last purchase online. In some product categories such as youth apparel or home décor, there is a nearly 20-point gap between the percentage of people that say they enjoy shopping online and the percentage of people who actually made their last purchase online in those categories.