Giant Food Stores Increase Web Traffic 400%
 

“Consumer adoption continues to exceed expectations,” continued Keptner.

Giant’s website is powered with GSN’s software that helps consumers quickly create a shopping list via personalized offers, the weekly circular, a virtual pantry containing previous purchases, and a searchable database of over 64,000 recipes. Giant has further enhanced customers’ on-line options through the April launch of its Shop from Home feature now available at its Camp Hill, Pennsylvania store. Erik Keptner said, “We look forward to continuing to develop web-based tools that offer our customers convenient and customer-friendly shopping solutions.”

The TJX Companies reported April 2008 sales results. Sales for the four-week period ended May 3, 2008, were $1.4 billion, up 12% over the $1.3 billion achieved during the four-week period ended May 5, 2007. For the thirteen weeks ended May 3, 2008, sales reached $4.4 billion, up 6% over the $4.2 billion achieved during the thirteen weeks ended May 5, 2007. Consolidated comparable store sales for the four-week period ended May 3, 2008, increased 8% over last year.

Carol Meyrowitz, President and Chief Executive Officer of The TJX Companies, Inc., stated, “Our April consolidated comparable store sales increase of 8% was above our expectations as business trends improved dramatically when the weather turned warmer. Our value proposition, offering customers the combination of great fashion, quality, brand and price, continues to serve us well, even in a challenging consumer environment. Above-plan comparable store sales, coupled with sharp execution of our inventory strategies, has led to strong margin performance. As we enter the second quarter, we are very well positioned to capitalize upon the great buying opportunities in the marketplace and flow exciting merchandise to our stores.”

With April’s above-plan consolidated comparable store sales, strong margins and effective expense control, the Company now expects Fiscal 2009 first quarter earnings per share to be $.40 - $.41, which is above its most recently anticipated range. In addition, the Company now expects to report a one-time benefit in the quarter due to certain tax-related adjustments which would further increase first quarter earnings per share.

Two and a half days of sessions will be offered to grocery executives on topics including new strategies for serving diverse customers, better tools for customer service, fresh food management and organics and sustainability.

The event will feature an opening keynote presentation by Scott Langdoc, vice president and business leader for Global Retail Insights, who will offer an exclusive debut of the RIS/Global Retail Insights 2008 Supermarket Benchmark Survey. This super session hones in on key business trends, technology initiatives and action items in the grocery vertical. RIS also will recognize grocers that have demonstrated outstanding business achievement with best-in class IT execution at the Fourth Annual Grocery Leadership Awards.

Top supermarket executive speakers at this year's event include:

• Dave McNally, Global CIO, Royal Ahold
• William S. Noakes, Executive Vice President, Meijer, Inc.
• Phil Lempert, Industry Analyst “The Supermarket Guru”
• Michael J. Haaf, SVP of Sales, Marketing and Business Strategy, Food Lion LLC
• Jim Clendenen, Sr. Vice President and CIO, Bashas’ and Ike’s Farmer’s Market
• Mark Chandler, VP of Supply Chain Integration
• Steve Methvin, Vice President Retail Technology & eCommerce, Bozzuto’s Inc.
• Tripp Hughes, Director, Marketing & Sales, Analysis & Planning, Organic Valley Farms
• Jeff Dineen, Director of Retail Information Systems, Roche Bros.

Price Chopper selects the Aldata G.O.L.D. Retail Supply Chain Suite to centralize merchandising and procurement and to improve replenishment management operations across 116 grocery stores throughout New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire.

Price Chopper will use Aldata G.O.L.D. to integrate operations, centralize inventory management and gain real-time inventory visibility across all its stores. The Northeast grocer anticipates leveraging Aldata’s PIM (Product Information Manager) module to better manage item and vendor data by enabling vendors to enter their data into a vendor portal.

“Price Chopper selected Aldata G.O.L.D. after an extensive evaluation of procurement solutions. We selected Aldata G.O.L.D. as a long term strategic technology investment based on the functional capabilities of the application and the knowledge of Aldata’s staff of the Grocery Business and its practices,” said Greg Zeh, Vice President of Enterprise Business Systems for Price Chopper. “Price Chopper continues to be responsive to growing market pressure and tighter margins. As such, we needed to select a business partner with vision and an agile, competitive system, which will allow us to streamline our procurement processes and enhance our supply chain efficiencies.”

Toys 'R' Us reported results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended February 2, 2008. The company's fourth quarter reporting period for fiscal 2007 includes thirteen weeks of operating results compared to fourteen weeks in fiscal 2006, which ended February 3, 2007. The company's annual reporting period for fiscal 2007 includes fifty-two weeks of operating results compared to fifty-three weeks in fiscal 2006.

For the fourth quarter ended February 2, 2008, the company reported a 39.3% increase in net earnings to $312 million, up from $224 million for the fourth quarter ended February 3, 2007. Operating earnings for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007 increased 17.5% to $671 million from $571 million in the fourth quarter last year, while net sales reached $5.827 billion for the 2007 fourth quarter, up 2.6% from $5.679 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2006.

For the year ended February 2, 2008, the company reported a 40.4% increase in net earnings to $153 million, up from $109 million for the year ended February 3, 2007. Operating earnings in fiscal 2007 rose 7.2% to $696 million from $649 million a year ago, while net sales increased 5.7% to $13.794 billion from $13.050 billion in fiscal 2006.

Total debt at the end of fiscal 2007 declined by $65 million from the prior year, while total cash and short-term investments increased by $154 million. Total long-term debt outstanding at the end of the 2007 fiscal year (including current portion) was $5.874 billion, an increase of $86 million from the prior fiscal year. The increase primarily relates to refinancing $137 million of short-term borrowings as long-term debt subsequent to year-end.

We are very pleased with the continued progress we made in 2007 to improve company performance across all segments of our business," said Jerry Storch, Chairman and CEO, Toys 'R' Us, Inc. "Better gross margins, improved comparable store sales and the positive impact of new store openings all contributed to higher net earnings for both the fourth quarter and the year. These results are especially gratifying given the difficult economic climate and the unique challenges experienced by the toy industry during the past year."