Corporate Governance

Vineyard Vines to open NYC flagship as part of ongoing retail expansion
A brand best known for its whimsical neckties and smiling pink whale logo is opening a flagship in the Big Apple.

Vineyard Vines will open a 6,000-sq.-st. store in Grand Central Station. The company is also slated to open stores at Somerset Collection, Troy, Michigan, in early May, at Hyde Park in Tampa, Florida, in August, and at Stanford Town Center in mid-March and The Village of Corte Madera in mid-June (with the latter two locations in California).
Starbucks in overhaul of popular loyalty program
It’s not going to be so easy for the 11 million-plus active members of Starbuck Corp.’s loyalty program to earn freebies.

Starting in mid-April, the coffee giant is making a change in its “My Starbucks Rewards” loyalty program whereby members will earn points, or “stars,” based on the dollars spent on the purchase. Currently, customers earn a star for each transaction, regardless of how much they spent, and are entitled to a free item after earning 12 stars.

What technology do retail employees use to communicate?

Retail employees are using mobile communication technology in their jobs, but a more established channel is still most popular.

According to a study of 500 professionals within a variety of industries including retail from Infinite Convergence Solutions, 57% of retail employees use email most frequently for business communication. This made email significantly more popular than mobile messaging; (24%) or voice calling (19%).
Wayfair to hire 450 for Texas service center

Wayfair is opening a new customer service center in Texas as it scales operations to service its rapidly growing customer base.

“Wayfair’s steadfast commitment to exceptional customer service has helped fuel the incredible growth of our business as more people discover a new and better way to shop for home furnishings,” said James Savarese, COO, Wayfair. “We look forward to expanding our operations to the Bryan-College Station area as we welcome new talent to our world-class customer service team.”
Amazon increases free shipping minimum to $49

Amazon hasquietlyraised its minimum free shipping for non-Prime members from $35 to $49, according to anupdateon the company's website.
There’s a new sheriff at specialty apparel retailer

Irvine, California-based specialty Western and workwear retailer Boot Barn is laying down the law.
Tractor Supply makes management appointments

Tractor Supply Company announced two management promotions. Benjamin Parrish, Jr. has been promoted to executive VP, general counsel, real estate and construction, and Kurt Barton has been promoted to senior VP, controller.

Parrish will assume leadership responsibilities for the company's Real Estate and Construction department in addition to his previous responsibilities for Compliance, Legal, Loss Prevention, Risk Management, Safety and Stewardship.
Here’s what consumers think about CVS’ ban on tobacco products

CVS Health's decision to stop selling cigarettes is having its intended impact - 52% of those consumers who used to buy their cigarettes from CVS say it is now harder to buy cigarettes altogether, according to a survey commissioned by V2, a manufacturer of electronic cigarette and vaporizer products. Out of that group, 73% called the impact manageable, stating that “buying cigarettes is now harder but I have other options” and 27% said it made buying them “much harder.”
Former Staples exec named VP at Wayfair.com

Wayfair has named an e-commerce veteran from Staples to oversee supply chain and operations at the growing online retailer.

Wayfair announced that Sharif Sleiman has joined the company as vice president of supply chain and operations.
Everybody loves Ollie’s, offer size increased

Demand for shares of Ollie’s Bargain Outlet is such that the retailer has increased the size of a secondary offering.
More change at American Apparel

American Apparel has lost one of its veteran executives. Martin Bailey, who headed up manufacturing for the company, has resigned, Fashionunited.com reported. Previously, he served as president and VP of operations for American Apparel, which recently emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. [Fashionunited.com]
Popular New York grocery chain on brink of default

The losses are mounting at one of New York City’s most beloved supermarket chains, the 80-year-old Fairway Market, as it battles increased competition from the likes of Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market. Fairway Group Holdings Corp., is on the cusp of default, and the next step could be bankruptcy court, Crain’s New York reported. The company warned investors in a regulatory filing on Feb. 5 that it could breach its loan agreements.