Retailers and consumer packaged goods companies are dealing with new rules of consumer engagement as they seize opportunities from advanced technology and the digitally connected consumer, according to the 2013 Financial Performance Report by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and PwC US, titled Growth Strategies: Unlocking the Power of the Consumer.

South and Central America are significant growth markets for retailers with seven countries - Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, Panama, Colombia and Mexico - ranked in the 2013 A.T. Kearney Global Retail Development Index.

British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has signed an agreement with DP World London Gateway to build a major distribution centre at the new deep-sea container port and logistics park in South Essex at an estimated cost of $311m.

Saks Fifth Avenue is over halfway through a multi-year, multi-front, multimillion-dollar transformation into an omnichannel enterprise. The retailer has already deployed approximately 2,000 iPad tablets in its stores to facilitate associates' communication and engagement with customers, and will be launching an e-commerce site for its OFF 5TH outlet banner this fall.

Some of the largest U.S. and U.K. retailers are slow to adapt their store operations to changing consumer buying habits, according to a study by SD Retail Consulting, a retail advisory firm and unit of Hilco Trading, LLC. Surprisingly, the study found that 80 percent of retailers surveyed are not effectively training their in-store staff to accommodate the complex needs of the new multichannel shopper. The study surveyed Retail Operations Leaders from 35 leading retailers including Department Store, Specialty Retail, Big Box, Grocery and Convenience Store chains, mostly with revenues of over $1bn (50 percent of which are publicly traded).