Resources

The first winter storm of 2016 slammed the Northeast and Mid Atlantic last Friday and Saturday leaving much of the area paralyzed. Despite warmer temperatures early this week, many areas are still recovering and some schools and businesses remain closed as local governments and residents dig out from up to 2 ½ feet of snow... Read more »

The NRF’s Big Show wrapped up on Wednesday after record attendance, and, as we unwind from an exciting week in New York, we find ourselves reflecting on the event as a whole and on the key takeaways that will impact Accelerated Analytics in 2016. Matt Shay, President and CEO of the National Retail Federation, opened... Read more »

Twelve major retailers released holiday results last week confirming what was arguably one of the most unusual holiday shopping seasons in recent history. A combination of economic factors, evolving consumer behaviors and an increasingly competitive marketplace provided a challenging and unpredictable backdrop for holiday sales this year. The following are some of the most notable... Read more »

    There were 12 major retail acquisitions in 2015 in the apparel specialty, department and shoe store industries. See below for the details including the effective date and the number of units.

With many Americans suffering from a holiday-spending hangover, it’s not surprising when we see a lull in spending in January. Coupled with abnormal weather conditions across the country and an uncertain economy, consumer spending is likely off to a slow start this month. The Chain Store Guide (CSG) Retail Spending Index saw its largest decrease... Read more »

Disappointing holiday sales prompted iconic department store Macy’s Inc. to announce major cost-cutting moves on Wednesday. During November and December’s uncharacteristically warm weather, Macy’s same-store sales declined 4.7%. “The holiday selling season was challenging, as experienced throughout 2015 by much of the retailing industry,” said Macy’s chairman and CEO Terry Lundgren. “In the November/December period,... Read more »

Consumers are shopping 6% more with their desktops this year versus last year, with desktop spending at $35.36 billion in the first 36 days of the shopping season (Nov 1- Dec 6). This figure sets a new record. Cyber Monday week saw $9.7 billion in desktop spending, up 7%. Spending reached $1 billion + per... Read more »

Vera Bradley, Inc. has added Mary Lou Kelley to its Board of Directors, bringing extensive e-commerce experience with her. Kelley had served as President, E-Commerce of Best Buy since 2014. Prior to joining Best Buy, she served as SVP, E-Commerce for Chico’s and Marketing VP for L.L. Bean. Previously, she also held key marketing positions... Read more »

The National Retail Federation’s Consumer Holiday Spending Survey shows that 56.6% of holiday shoppers already started shopping by early November, up from 54.4% in 2014. 60% of shoppers still plan to purchase apparel or accessories, 46.2% will buy books/CDs/video games, 41.2% will buy toys and 21.8% will purchase jewelry. Over 50% of those surveyed felt... Read more »