Strategy

Staples named a new technology chief who is expected to step up the company’s IT initiatives.  

Complexities associated with online shipping and fulfillment are eating into retailers’ profitability.   This was according to “Strategies for Agile, Profitable and Secure Omnichannel Execution.” The report, from Radial, revealed that more than 55% of customers are using multiple channels, such as online and mobile to shop.  

It’s closing time for Bebe Stores.   The struggling apparel retailer said on Wednesday, June 7, that it reached agreement with substantially all of its retail store landlords to terminate their existing leases. The cost to terminate the leases is estimated to be approximately $65 million.  

In reaction to changes that have transpired in the adjoining East Cambridge and Kendall Square neighborhoods since it debuted in 1990, CambridgeSide Galleria outside of Boston is undergoing a $30 million makeover.   Owner New England Development calls it a “repositioning” that will see the “Galleria” tag dropped from the title of the center, one of the first regional enclosed malls erected in an urban setting. It is the centerpiece of a 1.2-million-sq.-ft. mixed-use project that includes office space and a hotel.

Consumers rank Wegmans, Publix Super Markets, and Amazon.com as the top three companies when it comes to corporate social responsibility efforts.   

As Sears Holdings continues to struggle, the chain has once again updated is restructuring plan.   The embattled retailer has added 72 more stores to its list of upcoming closures. This is in addition to more than 180 closings that it already an-nounced, according to Business Insider.   

India tops an annual list of the 30 top developing countries for retail investment, pushing China, which took the No. 1 spot for the past several years, into second place.