Strategy

Online retail sales continue to increase – both in absolute terms and as a percentage of total retail sales. The fact remains, however, that online commerce takes place in what is essentially a one-dimensional transactional venue.

Meijer is adding a new senior leader to its merchandising organization with more than 30 years of grocery experience.

Meijer has named Tod Pepin as the retailer’s senior VP of Foods.

Same-day delivery provider Deliv is strengthening its position in the important New York market.

Deliv has acquired Zipments, a New York-based same-day delivery company. This gives Deliv more of a foothold and delivery density in New York City, one of the largest markets for same-day delivery in the country.

Zipments services brands such as Trina Turk, on-demand companies such as Casper, Handy, and Plated, local merchants such as B&H, Murray's Cheese and Epicerie Boulud, as well as large corporate clients who need to send packages across town.

Online retail sales continue to increase – both in absolute terms and as a percentage of total retail sales. The fact remains, however, that online commerce takes place in what is essentially a one-dimensional transactional venue.

Any toy purchased at Meijer through Nov. 30 will help the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based retailer grant a child's wish this holiday season.

Meijer is once again donating a portion of customer purchases made in the toy department, up to $400,000, to children's gift-giving programs throughout the Midwest.

Excess energy consumption in retail can exceed 30%, which means there is a huge opportunity for savings that many retailers s have not yet fully explored.

Retailers spend nearly $20 billion annually on energy expenses, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. By saving just 15% from optimizing operations and eliminating waste, we can save $3 billion as an industry.

Everyone wants to know how Walmart can compete with Amazon in e-commerce when the latter doesn't really make money at it. According to Ad Age, "The more Walmart does to differentiate itself from Amazon and offer a better value proposition, the more it will succeed," she said. "The more it focuses on price and value, the more it can compete." But it's a very long game. [Ad Age]

Gap Inc. is reportedly steering its store networking strategy away from hardware such as switches and routers.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Gap network architect Snehal Patel told attendees at a recent New York University networking conference that the retailer is transitioning its store network traffic to software-defined routers from Vipeta Inc. The new routers allow Gap to route traffic over the public Internet, maintaining security with encrypted connections.