Corporate Governance

Dollar General on Thursday reported better-than-expected fourth quarter sales and earnings and said it planned to raise compensation and increase training for store managers.   The discounter also said it plans to open approximately 1,000 stores and remodel or relocate 900 existing stores in fiscal 2017.   

Ikea continues to grow its U.S. renewable energy portfolio, with a goal of being energy independent by 2020.   The retailer has completed installation of its fifth biogas-powered fuel cell system in California – and in the country – at its East Palo Alto location in the San Francisco Bay area.  

DHL is helping high-volume retailers speed up “the last mile” of their omnichannel shopping experience.   DHL eCommerce, a division of logistics company Deutsche Post DHL Group, is expanding the functionality of its fulfillment centers in Columbus, Ohio, and Riverside, California. Specifically, the logistics company is investing in storage and mechanization to support the growing needs of its U.S.-based e-commerce retail partners that ship between 300 and 15,000 orders per day. They will also manage both B2C and B2B transactions.

People love to give gifts.   

Party City Holdco Inc. is increasing its corporate-owned store count.   The company has entered into an agreement to acquire a master franchise group representing 18 franchise stores in North Carolina and South Carolina for a purchase price of $31 million.   Prior to the acquisition, the company’s retail operations included 765 company-owned Party City stores and 164 franchise stores.  

With increased competition in the home furnishings category heats up, Pier 1 Imports wants to feature better assortments and pricing decisions to attract and retain shoppers.   The retailer is adopting a new predictive analytics solution from First Insight, which is designed to help it make quicker and more accurate design, buying and pricing decisions, as well as evaluate opportunities for new product launches.   

Amazon is making its next global logistics move.    The online retailer plans to enable its Chinese sellers to fly their goods internationally as air cargo, according to MarketWatch.   

The chief merchandising officer of Dollar General Corp. is retiring.   The retailer announced that James “Jim” W. Thorpe, executive VP and chief merchandising officer, will retire from Dollar General effective April 15, 2017. Dollar General said it has started a search for a successor and will consider both internal and external candidates for the job.