News

Armonk, N.Y. -- The U.S. online retail sector delivered double-digit growth in December 2010 compared with the same period last year, according to analytics-based findings by IBM. Online sales were up 12%, with consumers pushing the average order value up from $171.06 to $190.42 for an increase of 11.3%.

Concord, Calif. -- Beverages & More has launched a next-generation technology initiative based around NRF/ARTS (Association for Retail Technology Standards) standards coupled with cloud computing and high-performance technology and service providers that include NCR Corp., Verifone, Retail Anywhere, Trevarian, and Anametrix. The initiative (called “ItsMo!” internally) allows for rapid design, adoption and deployment of new technologies.

Alpharetta, Ga. -- RedPrairie, a supply chain and labor management systems provider, announced it has finalized the acquisition of SofTechnics, Columbus, Ohio, a provider of in-store software such as price and inventory management, intelligent store ordering and direct-store delivery.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot is buying Swedish office supply company Svanstroms Gruppen in order to expand its presence there.

Terms were not disclosed.

Office Depot first entered the Swedish market in 2004 through a strategic alliance with AGE Kontor & Data AB.

"We've been successful in this market and see continued growth and high potential in the region," said Charlie Brown, president of Office Depot's international division, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Dallas -- Zale Corp.’s same-store sales rose 8.5% during the November-December selling period. This figure is a key indicator of a retailer's health because it gauges results at existing stores instead of newly opened ones.

Zale is refocusing its merchandise on diamonds and stepping up training of its workers, said CEO Theo Killion in a Bloomberg report. The company increased the number of salespeople certified by the Diamond Council of America to 2,000, from 800 last year, and plans to add more, he said.

New York City -- Twenty-three Kmart stores in Illinois and three other markets are testing financial centers where shoppers can cash checks, pay bills, place money orders and transfer money, according to Chicago Breaking Business.

A Kmart spokeperson declined to comment on whether a bigger roll out is planned, or what the retailer has learned so far from its test, the report said.

Seven of the Kmart stores are in Illinois, 10 are in Los Angeles, five are in Puerto Rico and one is in Wisconsin.

New York City -- A federal appellate court in California has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Pier I by a disabled patron who claims he was unable to navigate the company’s store in Vacaville, Calif., because of architectural features that inhibited his movement, according to Dallas Business Journal.

Despite December’s sales weakness, Target chairman, president and CEO Gregg Steinhafel confirmed the company’s fourth-quarter same-store sales forecast in the range of 2% to 4% and said January comps would be in the low- to mid-single digits.

It seemed like everything was going Target’s way after the company reported a 5.5% same-store sales increase during November, but then the revelation came last week of a 0.9% December comp increase and the wind came out of the company’s sales.

Chicago -- Year-over-year retail sales rose a solid 4% for the 2010 holiday shopping season (November/December), according to ShopperTrak’s National Retail Sales Estimate.

Conversely, total U.S. foot traffic fell slightly below expectations as consumers continued the pattern retailers saw throughout 2010 of fewer mall and individual store visits with a larger spend. ShopperTrak’s revised holiday forecast called for a 1.8% traffic increase.