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Strategy

  • Warehouse club giant says online initiatives starting to take off

    Costco Wholesale Corp. has been playing catch up with its competitors in the online space — and its efforts may be starting to bear fruit.      The retailer has been adding more higher-end brands to its online merchandise mix and also improved stock levels for high volume items, Bloomberg reported.   

  • Trump to tap fast-food exec as labor secretary

    President-elect Donald Trump will name Andy Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants, as labor secretary, according to several media reports.   Puzder, whose company operates the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s burger retail chains, has argued against raising the minimum wage to more than $9 per hour. He also has been an advocate of cutting back or eliminating regulations he claims have been a detriment to the restaurant industry and has been critical of the Affordable Care Act.  

  • Getting Smart about Retail Lighting with LEDs

    When it comes to retail operating costs, energy is one of the top three expenses. Lighting is of course a component of this, accounting for 50% of energy costs for non-food retailers. Each square foot of a typical retail store costs roughly $0.71/SF/year – a cost that quickly adds up at the store and chain level.1, 2, 3  

  • Coffee giant brings social gifting to China

    On the heels of announcing its ambitious expansion strategy, Starbucks is putting another project on its plate.  

  • QVC names new head of technology

    Todd Sprinkle has been appointed CIO at QVC.   Sprinkle, who served as the company’s VP, IT strategy, planning and effectiveness, will now oversee QVC's global IT organization spanning the U.S., U.K., Germany, Japan, Italy, France and China, and at QVC's global business service operation in Poland.     Under his leadership, QVC’s IT team will continue delivering a seamless and engaging multi-platform experience for customers and team members, globally.   

  • Convenience-store operator ramps up store growth

    Casey’s General Stores continues to grow its store portfolio.   The Iowa-based convenience-store operator currently has 39 new stores, 22 replacement stores, and 37 major remodel stores under construction.       Looking ahead, Casey’s has 84 sites under contract for future new store construction and 15 acquisition stores under contract to purchase.     

  • Dunkin’ Donuts has big expansion plans for Dallas

    Dunkin’ Donuts is expanding its footprint in Texas.    The chain signed multi-unit store development agreements with four existing franchise groups to develop approximately 65 new restaurants in Dallas-Fort Worth and the surrounding area.     The new restaurants will include several multi-brand locations with sister brand Baskin-Robbins, the world's largest chain of ice cream specialty shops.     

  • American Dream’s new look is unveiled

  • Things getting worse at Sears as Q3 loss widens on sliding sales

    Sears Holdings Corp.’ woes mounted in the third quarter, as the struggling retailer reported its 20th consecutive quarterly loss and another drop in same-store sales.        Although Sears CEO Eddie Lampert said Sears is “fully committed to restoring profitability,” the retailer’s disastrous quarterly performance caused some industry experts to say Sears’ demise is now a matter of when, not if.  

  • Commentary: Sears like Titanic, ‘looks set to sink’

    (Ed. note: Neil Saunders, CEO of Conlumino, comments on Sears Holdings’ third-quarter results.)   In the movie Titanic there is a line where, realizing chaos is about to en-sue, one character helpfully notes “it’s starting to fall apart; we don’t have much time”. Such a sentiment could well be applied to Sears. The analogy with Titanic is also apt; not least because while Sears was once a titan of US retail, it now looks set to sink.  
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