News

Affordable Health Care Act Requires One Solution for Human Capital
By John Orr, Ceridian

With the Affordable Care Act, employers’ new reality is here, right now — and contrasts starkly with the past: Retailers that run payroll, time and attendance, scheduling, and benefits administration the way they used to will probably run afoul of the Employer Mandate, also known as “Play or Pay.”
Report: Google plans Android Pay release in May
Mountain View, Calif. – Apple Pay may have some new competition this spring. Google is reportedly planning to release an Android-based digital payment API known as Android Pay at its Google I/O conference in May 2015.

According to Ars Technica, Android Pay would integrate into retailers’ mobile apps but could also be used at physical checkout stations. Similar to Apple Pay, consumers would upload credit or debit card information to Android Pay and pay by tap.

HSN reports 40% digital growth

Record digital and mobile sales propelled HSN Inc. to a better-than-expected 10% increase in sales in the fourth quarter.

The company reported profit of $68.3 million, or $1.28 a share, up from $61.6 million, or $1.14 a share, a year earlier.
HSN beats Street with Q4 results; digital, mobile sales soar

St. Petersburg, Fla. – HSN Inc. had a successful fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, beating Wall Street estimates for both net income and sales. Net income rose 11% to $68.3 million from $61.6 million, while net sales grew 10% to $1.12 billion from $1.1 billion.

Digital grew 12%, reaching a milestone of representing more than half HSN’s business. Mobile remains the company’s fastest-growing platform with growth of 40% in the quarter.
Panties and perfume power L Brands in 2014

Apparently a lot of consumers shopped for lingerie and bath products this holiday season, if the profits at L Brands Inc. are any indication.

The Columbus, Ohio-based parent company of Victoria’s Secret and Bath and Body Works reported that it earned $564.8 million, or $1.89 a share, for the quarter ended Jan. 31, up from $489.6 million, or $1.65 a share, a year earlier. Net sales rose 7% to $4.07 billion and same store sales rose 6%.
Report: Domino’s promotes names change on Instagram

Ann Arbor, Mich. – Pizza retailer Domino’s, which recently shortened its name from “Domino’s Pizza,” is reportedly turning to social media to promote the name change and also locate out-of-date signs. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Domino’s is encouraging consumers to upload photos of signs with the old Domino’s Pizza logo and name to Instagram using the hashtags #LogoInformants and #Sweeps.
Report: Amazon eyes South Korean market

Seattle – Amazon.com is reportedly preparing to enter the South Korean market. According to South Korea-based Donga News, Amazon is hiring local employees for as many as 300 Korea-based positions, with a target opening date of mid-March 2015.
Kohl’s beats Street with strong Q4 performance; same-sales up 3.7%

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl's Corp. reported better-than-expected profit for its fourth-quarter profit, helped by strong holiday sales.

The retailer earned $369 million for the quarter ended Jan. 31, up from $334 million a year ago.

Total sales were up 3.9% to $6.34 billion from $6.1 billion in the year-ago period, also better than expected. Same-store sales increased 3.7%, a significant improvement after five straight quarters of decline.
Walmart exec offers view on feeding planet

Walmart is all about leveraging its scale to drive performance, but the application of that mindset can play out in many different ways, as Kathleen McLaughlin, president of the Walmart Foundation, will explain on March 3.
Walmart pledges $100 million to boost job skills

A week after announcing that it would boost wages for its employees, Walmart is stepping up again in a big way with a commitment to close the skills gap of entry level workers.

The Walmart Foundation is making an initial investment of $16 million to seven national nonprofits as part of the Opportunity initiative, a $100 million commitment to help increase the economic mobility of entry level workers in retail and adjacent sectors.