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Parking lots serve as the first point of entry for customers and, as such, are an important brand touchpoint. Chain Store Age spoke with Dan Flaherty, national accounts executive, Ultimat/Crius Corp., about how retailers can maintain a positive first impression without breaking the budget.

What, if any, impact does a badly maintained retail property have on customers? Can it affect business?

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid maintained its same-store sales momentum, posting gains across front-end and pharmacy comparable sales for the sixth consecutive quarter: Overall same-store sales were up 2.5%, reflecting a 2.7% across the front-end and a 2.4% uptick across pharmacy, for the first quarter ended June 2.

Pittsburgh -- First Insight said Thursday that it has forged an agreement with Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5TH to provide predictive analytics generated from online consumer engagements to help the outlet retailer make faster and more accurate buying and pricing decisions for new products. These decisions are designed to reduce markdowns and out-of-stocks, as well as to mitigate risks associated with new product introductions.

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Rite Aid Corp. reported Thursday that it narrowed its loss in the first quarter to $28.1 million, from a loss of $63.1 million in the year-ago quarter.

Revenue rose 1.2% to $6.5 billion from $6.4 billion, edging Wall Street’s forecasted $6.47 billion in revenue.

Same-store sales increased 2.5% in the quarter.

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Von Mauer may not be a household name in the retail world, but the Davenport, Iowa-based department store chain must be doing something right with its online business.

Editor’s note: No one could have predicted that a colossus was in the making when the very first Wal-Mart opened its doors on July 2, 1962, in Rogers, Ark. Billed as the area’s first “quality discount center,” the store promised name brands and 22 departments, from jewelry and hobbies to ladies’ wear and shoes.

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl’s Department Stores is strengthening its commitment to renewable energy, by increasing its solar program by nearly 25% in 2012, installing solar panels at approximately 30 additional Kohl’s locations.

Macys.com has made a name for itself by analyzing consumer data to gain insight into its loyal shopper base. The retailer, which features more than 60,000 products online and leverages multiple digital channels to share product information cross-channel, has armed itself with a set of internal cloud-based, high-performance analytics tools designed to improve customer segmentation, market-basket analysis and real-time personalization cross-channel, based on a broader scope of product attributes.