News

Gap Inc., is the only retailer to appear on a flawed list called The Civic50 that presumes to recognize the nation’s most community-minded companies.

Now in its third year, the lack of retail representation on The Civic50 is highly curious considering retailers enjoy a high level of visibility within the communities where they operate and are typically quite generous in supporting local charities and national causes. The consumer packaged goods was also under-represented on The Civic50 although companies such as ConAgra, General Mills and Hershey were included.

Armonk, N.Y. – IBM and Apple are releasing the first wave of their previously announced IBM MobileFirst for iOS solutions in a new class of made-for-business apps and supporting cloud services.   IBM MobileFirst for iOS solutions are now available to enterprise customers in retail, among other industries.

Houston –  Francesca’s Holding Corp. reported that its net income dropped 19% to $7.3 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2014 from $8.7 million the same period the prior year. Increases in cost of goods sold and selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses drove the decline in profit.  The specialty retailer also lowered its earnings outlook for the year.   Francesca’s plans to open one new store in the fourth quarter, bringing total new stores opened in the fiscal year to 88.

The holiday season started strong at Costco where U.S. same store sales advanced 7 percent during the company’s first quarter ended Nov. 23.

Total company sales during the period increased 7 percent to nearly $26.3 billion from $24.5 billion. Membership income grew slightly slower, advancing 6 percent to $582 million. Same stores sales excluding the effects of the strengthening U.S. dollar and fuel price deflation were 7 percent and U.S. and international locations.

New York – Omnichannel specialty bath and beauty product brand Sabon boosted its online sales 35% during Black Friday and Cyber Monday by implementing Dynamic Yield’s personalization engine. Sabon saw lifts across key metrics including user engagement, total page views, time spent on site and sales.  

Arlington, Va. - Gift cards will surpass $124 billion in sales in 2014, up 5% from 2013. According to from advisory firm CEB TowerGroup, the gift card market should undergo an annual growth rate of 5-6% through 2017, but double-digit growth rates experienced in recent years have peaked and subsided.  

LAKELAND, Fla.- For the fifth consecutive year, Publix Pharmacy is the highest-ranking pharmacy in overall satisfaction in the supermarket segment according to J.D. Power & Associate Satisfaction Survey, a customer satisfaction benchmark study that provides pharmacy-specific performance comparisons among brick and mortar pharmacies.  

Lands' End sales fell in its October quarter as its store base dwindled, though an improved merchandise assortment and a more-targeted promotional strategy helped drive a 26% increase in profits.

For the third quarter ended Oct. 31, Lands' End posted a profit of $18 million, or 56 cents a share, up from a profit of $14.3 million, or 45 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue, meanwhile, fell 2.8% to $373.1 million as same-store sales fell 3.1%.