Sam's Club

The Shops at Stonehenge in Chesterfield County, Virginia, south of Richmond, will be sold in a foreclosure auction this week, according to a report in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.  

In its latest move to gain a competitive edge on Amazon, Walmart expanded availability of its Scan and Go app.   Already a staple at Sam’s Clubs nationwide, Walmart launched its free Scan and Go app for Android users, reported Forbes.   

Walgreens Boots Alliance is losing its chief merchandising and marketing officer.   Linda Filler, Walgreens' president of retail products and chief merchandising and marketing officer, will depart the retailer effective April 1. Filler has been in the role since January 1, 2015. Prior to joining the drug store chain, she was president of Claire’s Stores. Before Claire’s, Filler served as was executive VP and chief merchandising officer for Sam’s Club,   

John Furner, who began his new role as president and CEO of Sam’s Club Wednesday, will focus on three big areas: people, product and digital.   Regarding people: “We need to engage everyone, at all levels of the company, in the fight we’re in. We need to put our members first and have everyone pulling in the same direction,” Furner stated in a blogged interview currently on Walmart’s website.  

In an era when gamers want new releases in their hands as quickly as possible, GameStop is changing the rules.   The gaming retailer calls its updated strategy a “new moment of truth.” Described as the gap between when a consumer purchases merchandise and actually receives it, this timing can truly make or break the chain’s reputation going forward — especially as digital retailing increases customer expectations.  

Starbucks posted disappointing sales growth for its first quarter, citing “a challenging environment for restaurant retailers overall.”   The coffee giant reported that its consolidated net revenues increased 7% in the quarter, ended January 1, 2017, to $5.73 billion, less than analysts had expected.  

In their e-commerce operations, retailers have long had access to limitless data about customers and transactions. They’ve become adept at using this information to deliver personalized communications and targeted campaigns to customers as they shop online.    Unfortunately, the same could not be said for in-store shopping. Retailers have had no way of knowing what customers were doing in their stores from the time they entered the front door until they checked out at the POS system.  

Wal-Mart Stores has appointed John Furner to succeed Rosalind Brewer, who is retiring as chief executive of Sams’ Club next month. Furner will assume the role of executive VP, president and CEO of the warehouse club chain on Feb. 1.