News

Survey – Cross-border shoppers double spend of domestic shoppers
San Jose, Calif. - Cross-border shoppers (those for whom more than 10% of their online spend is cross-border), spend approximately twice as much as consumers who only shop domestically. New research from PayPal and Ipsos, which investigated the online and cross-border shopping habits of more than 17,500 consumers in 22 countries, shows 30% of U.S. online consumers shop across borders.
Walmart to see clearly for three more years
Lost in the crush of holiday related news this week was a supply chain visibility related announcement involving Walmart and an obscure company called I.D. Systems, Inc.

Walmart uses I.D. System’s trailer and tracking management services branded as VeriWise to manage a range of logistics assets. The new development this week involved a three year contract extension whereby Walmart will continue using I.D. System’s services.

BJ’s new Mastercard programs ups offerings

New York — BJ's Wholesale Club’s Mastercard program ups the ante in the wholesale club credit card category. The new My BJ's Perks MasterCard will offer members 10 cents off per gallon of BJ's gas, up to 5% back on purchases in-club and at BJs.com, 2% back on eating out and non-BJ's gas purchases, and 1% back on purchases made everywhere else MasterCard is accepted.
eMarketer: Key trends to watch this holiday season

New York - Total retail sales in the United States will rise 5% to reach $862 billion during November and December this year, according to the latest forecast from eMarketer. Among the biggest trends to watch will be the acceleration in online sales, which are expected to grow at 16.6% year over year to reach $72.41 billion, or 8.4% of all retail purchases this holiday season. It’s a considerable uptick from 2013, when online sales totaled 7.6% of all holiday retail purchases.
Stage Stores rising on renewed optimism

The resumption of top line growth at Stage Stores enabled the operator of 858 stores to reduce the size of its third quarter net loss, but CEO Michael Glazer is taking a cautious view of the holidays.
True Value CEO to appear on “Undercover Boss”

New York - The chief executive of hardware giant True Value is going undercover—on television that is. True Value Company president and CEO John Hartmann will appear in the season premiere of "Undercover Boss," which airs on Dec. 14 on CBS.
PetSmart still for sale, focused on profit improvement

Amid an ongoing exploration of strategic alternatives, PetSmart said third quarter sales grew 2.6% thanks to the addition of 36 new stores as same store sales were flat.
Study: Shoppers split on stores opening on Thanksgiving; 50% oppose it

CINCINNATI - Americans are divided on the merits of shopping on Thanksgiving Day. The latest LoyaltyOne research shows there are three kinds of American Thanksgiving Day shoppers: 50% who say all-day shopping hours on Thanksgiving Day are a bad idea; 33% who say stores being open all day Thanksgiving is a great idea that provides more time for holiday gift shopping and 17% who can’t make up their mind.
Winn-Dixie customers in for sweet treat from Hershey’s

Winn-Dixie is partnering with the Hershey Co. to outfit stores with a “Candy Experience” section: a new concept that has replaced the traditional candy aisle in a Winn-Dixie in Baton Rouge, La.

Tests show that the new candy section, best described as a “store within a store,” can lift confection category sales for retailers by strong double digits. The candy experience sits at the front of the store, a dramatically different location from an aisle where consumers must hunt around for the candy shelves.
Home improvement surging ahead of holidays

Lowe’s said its third quarter same store sales spiked 5.1% a day after Home Depot reported an even stronger increase.

Total company sales increased 5.6% to $13.7 billion driven by increased productivity of existing stores as evidenced by a 5.1% comp increase. Home Depot said its third quarter same store sales increased 5.8%. Lowe’s profits increased 17.3% to $585 million while earnings per share increased 25.5% to 59 cents and were aided by $900 million in share repurchase activity.