News

Atlanta – The Home Depot plans to open new eight new stores and increase sales by approximately 5% during fiscal 2014. The retailer released guidance for both fiscal 2013 and 2014 on Dec. 10.

For fiscal 2013, Home Depot has reaffirmed guidance of 5.6% sales growth and 7% same-store sales growth.

Austin, Texas – Nine-in-10 (87%) holiday shoppers surveyed still have presents to buy. Recent surveys by RetailMeNot and The Omnibus Company found that nearly 200 million Americans have not completed their holiday shopping.

Nearly nine-in-10 (88%) winter holiday shoppers surveyed said they have had to buy gifts in the 11th hour. Parents seem to be the biggest procrastinators, as nearly all (95%) parents surveyed admitted to waiting until the last minute to buy holiday gifts.

New York – Leonard Riggio, chairman of Barnes & Noble, has reportedly sold 2 million shares of company stock. According to Reuters, Riggio’s sale, reported in an SEC regulatory filing, lowers Riggio’s stake in Barnes & Noble to 26.3%.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation (NRF) is calling the short-term budget deal reached by Congress on Dec. 10 a step in the right direction for the economy and for retailers. In a prepared statement, Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the NRF, said legislators must move past partisan differences to resolve lingering fiscal issues.

Waltham, Mass. – Personalization software company True Fit has become a Demandware Link Technology Partner. Through the Link Technology Partner Program, True Fit has developed a pre-built integration between its fit technology platform and Demandware Commerce.

Fort Worth, Texas – RadioShack has completed a new financing totaling $835 million. That figure includes a $535 million credit facility led by GE Capital, Corporate Retail Finance and a $250 million secured term loan led by Salus Capital Partners, LLC.  

Pleasanton, Calif. – Safeway has appointed Brian Baer to president of the company's Eastern Division. Baer joined Safeway in 2001 as VP finance for the company's Phoenix Division. In 2004, he became group VP finance planning and analysis at the Safeway's corporate headquarters.

By Keri Dawson, VP, Industry Solutions and Advisory Services, MetricStream, [email protected]

As 2013 comes to an end, the retail/CPG industry is bracing itself for even greater compliance requirements, increased regulatory scrutiny, and more risks resulting from social media, global operations, and multi-tiered supply chains.

By Brett Conradt, [email protected]

Strategic brand and design firm Chute Gerdeman has named Jim Crawford as VP of technology and experience design — a newly created position.

Crawford will be charged with integrating next-generation technology into the shopping experiences and store designs that Chute Gerdeman creates for its clients.