Corporate Governance

New York -- Retail design consultancy and brand agency CBX has been retained by hunger relief organization Philabundance to design a prototype for Fare & Square, a not-for-profit grocery store slated to open this summer in Chester, Pa.

Chicago -- Automation and mass production will continue to make life easier in the years ahead, but consumers and companies will react by valuing – and promoting – human services and artisan goods. That’s one of the key trends research firm Mintel predicts will be impacting consumer behavior in the next five to 10 years.

As part of its lunch of Mintel Futures, a new program designed to forecast long-term industry trends, Mintel identified six key trends affecting the global consumer market in the near future:

New York -- The Children’s Place and 1-800-Flowers.com have selected a social media management system from Sprinklr, an enabler of scalable social media management for companies. Sprinklr enables brands to be Social@Scale by engaging in a timely and relevant manner with their community from a single location, across multiple corporate functions, and in multiple social channels.

Canton, Mass. -- Dunkin’ Donuts has signed a franchise agreement with Vietnam Food and Beverage Co. Ltd. for the development of Dunkin' Donuts restaurants across the country over the next several years, with the first locations planned for the Ho Chi Minh city area.
  
“We are excited to partner with Vietnam Food and Beverage Co. Ltd., which has a deep knowledge of the Vietnamese consumer, to open the first Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in Vietnam,” said Giorgio Minardi, president, Dunkin' Brands International.”

Walmart's U.K. chain, Asda, is optimizing its distribution operations by incorporating Isotrak vehicle-tracking, along with Paragon routing and scheduling software.

The new system has enabled Asda to implement a new regional distribution structure.

AUSTIN, Texas — Starmount, a software provider focused on helping retailers optimize the shopper experience, has named software development veteran John Filut its new VP operations. Filut will play a crucial role in planning and executing internal operations and processes, including project management best practices and refining the development and delivery of Starmount services and support strategy. In this new role, Filut will also provide overall planning and management of IT.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Chief Super Market, an Ohio-based grocery chain, has selected Spartan Stores, a regional grocery distributor and retailer, as its primary wholesale grocery supplier.

Chief operates 12 stores in Northwest and West Central Ohio under the Chief and Rays banners. Spartan Stores stated that it will assume distribution to all of Chief’s banners for grocery, dairy, frozen, bakery and other products in March.

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. — The Ikea Foundation, with the help of its customers and employees, have donated $12 million to UNICEF and Save the Children for projects that will help create opportunities for children to have access to a quality education.

CHICAGO — An appreciation for human-crafted goods and growth in automated payment solutions are among the trends Mintel predicts will be impacting consumer behavior in the next five to 10 years.

LEXINGTON, Mass. — Stride Rite has launched a new line of shoes specifically designed for baby's first months through the crawling and pulling up stages.