News Briefs

A Midwestern specialty grocer is leveraging artificial intelligence technology specifically designed for fresh food.

Fresh Thyme Market is rolling out the AI-based Afresh Store Ordering for Food Service solution. The retailer is on track to use Afresh technology to order across its core fresh departments, including produce, meat, seafood and food service, for its entire chain of 70 stores by end of year.

Leveraging the platform, fresh food department managers use tablets and guided workflows to review inventory levels and place orders. The solution taps into the Afresh AI data engine to help analyze hard-to-track factors for each fresh item, such as shelf life, seasonality, holidays and imperfect scanning at the registers to deliver intelligent order recommendations and automatic orders. 

For prepared foods, Afresh helps managers and associates manage orders for ingredients that are used across many recipes and adjust for possible ingredient substitutions. 

"We've been using Afresh for a long time across many of our fresh departments, and we're excited to add support to this busy area of our stores," said Scott Caro, group VP merchandising and marketing for Fresh Thyme. "Afresh has helped us be early users of AI in our store ordering, and the insights from Afresh are next-level. With Afresh, we've been able to streamline our processes, improve efficiency for our employees and enhance the overall experience for our customers by better meeting their expectations."

[READ MORE: Fresh Thyme introduces in-store pickup]

Based in Downers Grove, Ill., Fresh Thyme Market operates 70 stores in 10 states throughout the Midwest.

Shoppers on the Canadian Amazon site now have an easier time searching for and identifying sustainable products.

Amazon Canada has launched the Climate Pledge Friendly program. Initially introduced in the U.S. in September 2020, the initiative identifies eligible sustainable items in shopping results and is part of Amazon’s efforts to meet the Climate Pledge, a commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040.

Climate Pledge Friendly also provides additional information about the certifications that make products eligible for the certification, and they are featured in a dedicated of the Amazon Canada e-commerce site. The assortment includes grocery, household, fashion, beauty, and personal electronics products.

Through a "Sustainability feature" label, customers can identify more than 143,000 products that meet one or more of 44 third-party sustainability certifications. These include responsible manufacturing practices such as using safer chemicals, conserving resources and reducing energy consumption. 

Amazon has also created its own certification, Compact by Design, which highlights products that meet sustainability standards.

[READ MORE: Amazon adds new sustainability certifications]

"Climate Pledge Friendly is a simple way for customers to make more sustainable shopping choices that help preserve our planet," said Eva Lorenz, Amazon Canada country leader, in a corporate blog post. “Through this program, we’re incentivizing our selling partners to offer an expanding selection of climate friendly products, making it easier for customers to help protect the natural world for future generations."

Nordstrom is expanding the footprint of its off-price division in the Sunshine State.

Nordstrom Rack will open a 24,000-sq.-ft. store in fall 2025 at The Avenue Viera in Melbourne, Fla. The center is owned and managed by WS Development. 

Also, a 27,000-sq.-ft. Nordstrom Rack will open in spring 2026 at Sarasota Pavilion in Sarasota. The center is owned and managed by InvenTrust Properties.

A previously announced Florida location, at Pine Ridge Square in Coral Springs, will open in fall 2025.  Nordstrom currently operates six Nordstrom stores and 19 Nordstrom Rack stores in Florida.

In addition to the Melbourne and Coral Springs locations, Nordstrom Rack has announced plans to open the following stores in 2025:

•The Davis Collectio, Davis, Calif.

•Sycamore Commons, Matthews, N.C.

•Randall Square Geneva, Ill.

•Manalapan Commons, Manalapan, N.J. 

•Fischer Marketplace, Apple Valley, Minn.

•Westchase Shopping Center, Houston

•Park West Village, Morrisville, N.C.

•Prasada North, Surprise, Ariz.

•The Gates of Prosper, Prosper, Tex.

• The Landing at Hyannis, Hyannis, Mass.

• The Shops at SunVet, Holbrook, N.Y.

Nordstrom operates more than 350 Nordstrom, Nordstrom Local and Nordstrom Rack locations.

Beyond Inc. is reducing its workforce as part of a cost-structure review.

The parent company of Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock and Zulily revealed in a SEC filing that it is cutting about 20% of its workforce, with the majority of the cuts to be implemented in the fourth quarter of 2024. Beyond said the cuts would result in an annual savings of about $20 million in fixed costs. 

“These actions were taken to strategically create a more variable, leverageable cost structure and create a more streamlined organization to align to its asset-light business that supports an affinity and data monetization model with a strong technology focus,” the company stated in the filing.

In connection with the workforce reduction, Carlisha Robinson, former chief product officer of Beyond, was terminated without cause effective Oct. 22. 

The workforce reduction comes as Beyond  is investing about $65 million in two retailers  to help restore Bed Bath & Beyond’s physical presence. On Monday, it announced a partnership with home décor retailer Kirkland’s that includes the opening of new, smaller-format Bed Bath & Beyond stores nationwide. As part of the deal, Beyond will invest $25 million in a combined debt and equity transaction to strengthen Kirkland’s capital position and fuel growth initiatives. 

The deal with Kirkland’s came on the heels of Beyond’s partnership with The Container Store. It includes a $40 million investment from Beyond in the home storage and organizational products retailer and the addition of Bed Bath & Beyond products to The Container Store locations.  

A high-end fashion retailer is enabling a seamless customer experience at its London flagship store with an advanced POS platform.

Vince is deploying Teamwork Commerce cloud-based mobile POS retail software on iOS devices at the London location. It enables associates to serve customers from anywhere in-store without being tied to a traditional physical POS terminal.

As a result, Vince seeks to reduce checkout queues while delivering seamless shopping experiences. The technology also integrates with business processes and supports a centralized database with real time data across all channels. 

The retailer is integrating its new mobile POS solution with an Adyen payment system and Teamwork Commerce gift cards. The Teamwork Commerce platform replaces a traditional POS system Vince felt was complex, offered limited mobility, and necessitated extensive staff training. 

"At Vince, we are always looking for ways to improve our technology to ensure our customers have the best experience possible," said Heather Wilberger, Vince chief transformation & technology officer. "Working with Teamwork Commerce will enable us to position ourselves where we want to be while helping us deliver high-quality customer experiences seamlessly."

Utilizing the NewStore platform, Vince has previously unified its physical and digital channels in U.S. stores, enabling seamless in-store services such as fulfilling orders with an iPhone, buy online pickup in-store (BOPIS), and endless aisle. 

"Customers today expect brands to create seamless transactions across all channels,” said Michael Mauerer, CEO, Teamwork Commerce. “Retailers who can live up to this expectation will not only enhance the customer experience but will develop a competitive advantage as well.”

Vince operates 50 full-price retail stores, 17 outlet stores, an e-commerce site and subscription service, and sells through premium wholesale channels globally. 

[READ MORE: Vince CEO resigns; interim chief named]

Consumers are feeling festive during the final few months of 2024 — 95% will celebrate at least one of the four major holidays remaining in the year. 

That’s according to Numerator’s Q4 Holiday Preview, which also found that 87% of U.S. consumers plan to celebrate Thanksgiving, with 80% planning to shop in stores for the holiday. The top Thanksgiving purchases will be food (89%), non-alcoholic beverages (32%) and alcoholic beverages (31%). 

Christmas

Most (90%) consumers plan to celebrate Christmas, with 80% of celebrants planning to purchase gifts. Top planned purchases include gift cards (71%), apparel (55%) and toys or games (49%). 

In other findings, 44% of Christmas shoppers expect to split purchases evenly between in-store and online. 

 New Year’s Eve  

Sixty-three percent of all U.S. consumers plan to celebrate New Year’s Eve, with the holiday being more popular among Gen Z and millennials.  Food is the top purchase for New Year’s Eve (79% plan to buy), followed by alcoholic beverages (58%). Beer (59%) and champagne (56%) are the top choices for New Year’s Eve alcohol buyers.

Halloween

Fifty-nine percent of consumers will celebrate Halloween, with 60% planning to decorate their homes and 58% planning to hand out candy. Over half of shoppers expect to purchase their Halloween supplies from big box stores, followed by grocery or discount stores.