Strategy

Dallas - Between now and June 30, 7-Eleven Inc. will waive the franchise fee on a select number of its U.S. stores available for franchise, a savings of up to $80,000. The more than 200 available stores are located in cities across the country.

During the last four years 7-Eleven has grown its store base by more than 1,300 units. Now that a 7-Eleven customer base has been established at these locations, the company is looking to transition these stores to franchise operations.

The Walmart Foundation is funding a three-year initiative to identify new ways in which the non-profit, public and private sectors can better work together to serve veterans. 

The $1 million initiative is called Welcome Home North Carolina, and it will operate under the guidance of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, a New York-based organization that solves issues facing former service personnel and their families. Among the institute’s responsibilities will be distributing the $1 million.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation is welcoming the direct involvement of Labor Secretary Tom Perez in the ongoing dispute between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).

The Obama administration has dispatched Perez to participate in talks aimed at ending the standoff between West Coast port workers and management which resulted in a four-day shutdown of ports on the U.S. West Coast from Feb. 13-16.

Snowed in and need a shovel? If you live near an Ace Hardware, you may be able to get that shovel delivered.

That’s because the retailer is rolling out its latest pilot program: Express Delivery. The program allows customers to find the products they need on acehardware.com and have them delivered by a helpful associate from their neighborhood Ace the same day.

London – Leading U.K. supermarket chain Tesco plc is reportedly considering laying off as many as 10,000 employees in response to poor profit performance. According to the Sunday Telegraph, Tesco may lay off up to 6,000 employees from its head office and 43 stores the retailer already announced it will close, and eliminate the rest by streamlining operations.

Jobs eliminated by streamlining would include executive positions. In January, Tesco said it would shutter 43 stores with as many as 2,000 resulting layoffs.
 

New York -- Jonathan Ive, senior VP of design at Apple, is working on a redesign of Apple stores to make them feel more like a “natural” environment for the forthcoming Apple Watch, according to an article in The New Yorker.

“Ive has begun to work with (Angela) Ahrendts, Apple’s senior VP of retail, on a redesign-as yet unannounced-of the Apple Stores,” author Ian Parker writes in the article.

Dublin, Calif. - Ross Dress for Less will open two new stores in Louisiana on March 7. The stores are located in Juban Crossing in Denham Springs, and Magnolia Marketplace in central New Orleans.

With these new locations, Ross will operate 15 stores in Louisiana. Together, Ross Dress for Less and DD’s Discounts currently operate more than 1,300 off-price apparel and home fashion stores in 33 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.
 

How do you mold a large workforce with a significant part-time segment into experts in home improvement so customers get the answers they need every time they walk in the doors of The Home Depot?

It requires committed associates, strong leaders, and innovative learning solutions.