Strategy

A Walmart initiative begun a year ago to offer an online assortment of products from small women-owned businesses has expanded to the retailer’s stores.

Salt Lake City -- Overstock.com, Inc. has promoted Seth Marks to the position of senior VP of merchandising and strategic sourcing for the online shopping site.

Marks began his work at Overstock.com in 2013, and has served as VP of sales and special acquisitions. Previously, he co-founded Big Lots Capital, the special acquisitions arm of Big Lots, Inc., and served there as the VP of merchandising.  He also was chief marketing officer and Acquisition Group president of Tuesday Morning Corp.

Seattle – Nordstrom Inc. plans to open a Nordstrom Rack at Winrock Town Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The approximately 33,500-sq.-ft. store is scheduled to open in fall 2015.

The new Nordstrom Rack will be the company's first retail location in New Mexico.

A precipitous decline in gun and ammunition sales caused a 21.7% drop in first quarter same store sales at Cabela’s where profits were half the prior year level.

Firearms and ammunition sales declined 39% and 32%, respectively, during the first quarter ended March 29, and total company sales declined 9.6% to $725.8 million. Profits totaled $25.7 million, or 36 cents a share, compared to $49.8 million, or 70 cents a share, the first quarter the prior year.

Indianapolis -- Simon Property Group Inc. has opened a 50-store expansion of Desert Hills Premium Outlets in Cabazon, California. Desert Hills now has 180 stores.

Waban, Mass. - The percentage of large organizations that have reached the two highest levels of customer experience maturity has grown from 6% in 2013 to 10% this year. During the same period, the percentage of companies in the lowest level of maturity has dropped from 40% to 31%, according to a new report from Temkin Group, “The State of Customer Experience Management 2014.”

Other findings include:

The ANNpower Vital Voices Initiative is a partnership between Ann Inc., parent company of Ann Taylor and Loft, and Vital Voices Global Partnership to empower young women from across the U.S. with the leadership skills they need to affect global progress, invest in their communities and begin their journeys as the next generation of leaders.  

Dublin, Ireland – Discount fast-fashion retailer Primark, the Dublin-based subsidiary of U.K. retail and consumer group Associated British Foods, plans to enter the United States, opening a location in Boston. The 70,000-sq.-ft. store will open at the end of 2015 and be on the site of the former Filene's department store in the city’s downtown area.