News

Survey: Majority of retailers plan to boost customer experience spend in 2015
WAKEFIELD, Mass. — More than 80% of retailers plan to increase their customer experience spending in 2015, according to a new survey from SDL, a provider of global customer experience, and Econsultancy.

Findings from the online survey, called The Retailer’s Imperative: A Strategic Approach to Customer Experience, reveal that North American retailers are past the stage of debating the importance of customer experience management and are now trying to master it.
Stanley Black & Decker, Newell Rubbermaid gain ground in Q4
Stanley Black & Decker and Newell Rubbermaid reported modest but steady growth in the fourth quarter, results that position both companies on solid ground going forward.

At Stanley Black and Decker, net sales for the fourth quarter came in at $2.98 billion, up from $2.88 billion in the fourth quarter of 2013. This was mainly due to increases in volume and price, but partially offset by currency. In terms of net income, the company pulled in $145.8 million, up considerably from last year's $56.1 million.

TechBytes: Two Reasons Why Microsoft HoloLens May Disrupt Retail (and One Why It Might Not)

In another sign technology advancements are turning everyday life into the stuff of science fiction, Microsoft recently unveiled a new holographic computer system called HoloLens. Slated for official release this fall, HoloLens layers interactive 3-D holograms on top of the user’s physical surroundings, providing an “augmented reality” experience.
Former Raytheon CEO joins TJX board

The TJX Companies announced that William H. Swanson has been elected to its board of directors.
Founder Wilson departs Lululemon board

Vancouver – Dennis “Chip” Wilson, founder of Lululemon Athletica inc. is stepping down from Lululemon's board of directors. Wilson, who founded Lululemon in 1998, led the company through many business cycles as he expanded it from a small storefront in Vancouver to an international brand with over 250 stores.
Epson’s new smart printers offer innovative peripheral connectivity for tablet-based POS

Long Beach, Calif. – Epson has introduced two new OmniLink i-Series smart printers to meet the growing demand for cost-effective, reliable peripheral connectivity in the mobile and tablet POS environments. With Epson’s innovative ePOS-Device technology, Epson's OmniLink i-Series enables retailers to easily add peripheral devices to tablet POS systems, while protecting their legacy peripheral investments. The TM-T88V-i features four USB ports and one serial port, while the TM-T20II-i can accommodate up to three devices.
One-on-One at Retail's Big Show 2015: Q&A with Microsoft's Karen Garette

CSA Editor Marianne Wilson interviews Karen Garrette, Global Retail Industry Director at Microsoft Dynamics.
Lands' End names new CEO

Lands’ End, an apparel brand known for its casual style, may be looking to go in a more luxurious direction after announcing its new CEO.

The company said its new CEO will be Federica Marchionni, who was president of Dolce & Gabbana USA Inc. She will also join the company’s board. She will succeed Edgar Huber, who is resigning from the company on Feb. 17.

Huber led the retailer through its separation from Sears Holding Corp. in April as Sears sought to focus on its core assets.
Wegmans getting wild -- with shrimp

Wegmans is looking to bolster its reputation as one of the nation’s best food retailers with a promotion that will see the retail sell massive quantities of shrimp.
Harry & David boosts 1-800-Flowers Q2 performance

Carle Place, N.Y. – The September 2014 closing of its acquisition of the Harry & David brand helped produce extremely strong performance during the second quarter of fiscal 2015 at 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. The retailer reported net income of $45.54 million, more than double the $17.99 million reported in the same quarter a year earlier.