News

Delia’s is still in the early stages of its turnaround efforts, but losses in the fourth quarter prompted the multichannel retailer that caters to teenage girls to offer preliminary results.

The company said that headwinds which continue to pressure the retail industry hampered its progress in the quarter.

In recent years, retailers have aggressively implemented in-store systems to track customers’ every move from the moment they enter till the moment they leave (hopefully including a trip through a checkout lane). Specific details such as how long customers spend in front of a display are also carefully monitored and analyzed. Technology now allows retailers to keep tabs on what customers do in the store almost as rigorously as they follow customer actions online.

Walgreens is now offering daily testing for cholesterol, blood glucose and body composition at nearly 200 stores in California. Each test also includes a free blood pressure reading and personal consultation with a Walgreens pharmacist.

Stellarton, Canada — Sobey’s Inc. has entered binding purchase and sale agreements with Overwaitea Food Group and Federated Co-operatives Limited that will see Sobeys sell 22 of the 23 stores it is required to divest as part of its consent agreement with the Competition Bureau related to its purchase of Canada Safeway.

 In addition, Sobeys has signed a binding letter of intent with Federated for the sale of its Price Chopper location in Winnipeg, which the company is also required to divest as part of its October consent agreement.

Mars Advertising has made changes to its team of shopper marketing experts in an effort to capitalize on a year during which the company expanded its portfolio of high profile clients and reported “solid” growth.

Dallas — Zuri Furniture has deployed Yottaa Engagement Cloud to optimize user engagement and business performance. To scale online operations in the U.S. and Canada, Zuri sought a solution that could offer immediate results in improved conversions and revenue.

Weis Markets has named Jonathan Weis as president and CEO. Weis will retain his role as company vice chairman.

Weis has been serving as the company's interim CEO. In his new role, Weis will oversee all aspects of the company's retail, supply chain, merchandising, human resources, information technology, finance, real estate and manufacturing operations.

Seattle — Pinterest will emerge as a stronger alternative to Facebook and Twitter, according to global research and analytics firm Blueocean Market Intelligence. The company analyzed the online data of the nation’s top 100 retailers from September through December 2013 as part of its on-going study assessing the business impact of top retailers’ social media efforts.

Based on the analysis, Blueocean Market Intelligence predicts the following top social media trends for the retail industry in 2014: