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JC Penney has launched a new home goods strategy that includes expansive home goods boutiques at 500 of their 1,100 stores.  CEO Ron Johnson calls the strategy “pivotal” to his efforts to revive Penney. For seven years, home goods have been Penney’s worst performing category. The home category accounted for only 12 percent of sales... Read more »

Kohl’s Corp. has hired Starbucks’ Michelle Gass, the executive responsible for developing the then new Frappuccino into a $2 billion a year business that makes up one fifth of Starbucks sales. The move is part of Kohl’s strategy to recapture the growth it enjoyed in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. “We probably got a little... Read more »

Perfume maker Coty Inc. (COTY) is seeking as much as $1.1 billion on behalf of its shareholders in a U.S. initial public offering set for June 12. The company’s owners, including private-equity firm Berkshire Partners, plan to offer 57.1 million shares for $16.50 to $18.50 each. Coty will not get any proceeds from the IPO.... Read more »

The New York Times and Forbes have both recently approached an issue every retailer is struggling with: “showrooming”. “Showrooming” is the phenomenon of customers browsing and researching the retailer’s products, only to purchase it elsewhere for a lower price.  Many big retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy are price-matching and requiring unique SKUs... Read more »

JC Penney reported a loss of $348 million for its first quarter, compared to $163 million comp last year amid a 16% decline in revenue.  The retailer is struggeling to recover from the business plans former CEO Ron Johnson had put in place. JCP’s new CEO Mike Ullman said that reconnecting with customer will take... Read more »

The Accelerated Analytics team spent the week in Las Vegas at the National Hardware Show meeting with customers and prospective customers.  Most of the attendees we spoke with feel the economy is comming back and the remainder of 2013 will be pretty solid.  That view seems to be supported by the performance of the major... Read more »

I was shoping at Kohl’s this morning and was somewhat surprised to see they are using digital price signs on all thier fixtures and racks.  I haven’t been into a Kohl’s for at least a year so I’m not sure if these are new or have been around a while.  Although the geek in me... Read more »

Office Depot and OfficeMax officially ended industry speculation today confirming they will merge into a single company.  OfficeMax shareholdersw will receive 2.69 Office Depot common shares for each share of OfficeMax common stock. “In the past decade, with the growth of the internet, our industry has changed dramatically. Combining our two companies will enhance our... Read more »

CAMBRIDGE, MA – All signs point to a strong rebound for home improvement activity in 2013, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) released today by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.  Robust spending in the second half of 2012 suggests the remodeling recovery is already underway, and the... Read more »