News

MarineMax Q4 net income slightly falls
Clearwater, Fla. - Net income at MarineMax Inc. fell 2% to $5.2 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 from $5.2 million in the fourth quarter of the previous fiscal year. Damages received in connection to the 2010 Deepwater oil spill during the fourth quarter of 2013 helped produce a year-over-year decline in MarineMax’s net income. Revenue grew 10% to $164.1 million from $149.7 million. Same-store sales increased approximately 10%.
Big Lots is mom’s new best friend
Big Lots celebrates families and mothers in particular through its national holiday television and online campaign launched on Nov. 1.

The campaign features four original songs - one in Spanish - which are intended to inspire sing-alongs. The spots feature a singing trio that includes "America's Got Talent" finalist Deanna DellaCioppa, a Boston native who has performed with Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross.

In this campaign, Big Lots emphasizes a special role mothers play in celebrating the holidays.

Eloquii’s Fast-Fashion Take on Plus Sizes

Fast-fashion for plus-sized women: That’s what eloquii.com is on a mission to deliver. While a retail format that offers runway-inspired looks for shoppers sized 14 to 24 is a no-brainer, the concept is practically radical in fast-fashion retailing.
Nielsen: North American consumer confidence up in Q3

New York -- Consumer confidence in the North America region improved four points to 107 on the Nielsen Consumer Confidence Index for the third quarter of 2014. Consumer confidence levels above and below a baseline of 100 indicate degrees of optimism and pessimism, respectively, with the latest results reflecting an outlook of cautious optimism.
Gap Raises Bar on Digital With New CEO

By
Survey: Retailer use of social media for product development grows 550%

Boston -- The current use of social media data by retailers for merchandise planning is limited, with only 39% using it for product development and only 35% using it for promotional planning.
(Please Don't) Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Like an inconsiderate party guest, Old Man Winter arrived early this year, bringing his trusty cohorts snow, ice, wind and rain. The first official day of winter is still a month away, but many parts of the United States are feeling the freeze, especially in the Northern Plains, where snow fell 11 days before summer officially ended. If that is any indication of the upcoming season, retailers could be in for a long and brutal winter.

Winter Forecast

For many, winter is a magical time of the year.
PwC: Retail and consumer mega deals hits seven year high in Q3

New York -- Retail and consumer merger and acquisition activity in the United States during the third quarter of 2014 was driven by the highest volume of mega deals (deals with a value of over $1 billion) in at least seven years, leading to overall transaction value jumping significantly during the quarter when compared to the year ago period, according to PwC’s U.S. retail and consumer deals insights Q3 2014 report.
Best Buy taps Domino’s CEO for board

J. Patrick Doyle, president and CEO of Domino’s Pizza, has been appointed to the board of directors of Best Buy.

Doyle has joined Domino’s in 1997, serving in a variety of leadership roles across its domestic and international businesses. He has been president and CEO of Domino’s since March 2010.
IDC Retail Insights: Top 10 retail predictions for 2015

Framingham, Mass. -- By 2017, three times as many retailers as now will explicitly underpin their customer and operations strategies on 3rd platform technologies. That’s one of IDC Retail Insights’ top 10 worldwide retail predictions for 2015. IDC revealed the predictions during a Web conference, IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Retail Agenda 2015 Predictions.