Retail

Leading branded footwear company Wolverine is eyeing 2015 as a year to focus on omnichannel and expansion.

The parent company of Stride-Rite, Merrell and other brands says it is poised to realign its resources to address a fundamental shift in consumer shopping behavior and allow for greater focus on important omnichannel initiatives.

Duluth, Ga. -- Great American Cookies has deployed the NCR Silver cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) platform in 89 of its franchise stores nationwide, with additional stores on the horizon this year.

Several factors led to Great American Cookies’ adoption of the platform company-wide, including software integration, ease of use, mobility and value per benefit.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation is welcoming the direct involvement of Labor Secretary Tom Perez in the ongoing dispute between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).

The Obama administration has dispatched Perez to participate in talks aimed at ending the standoff between West Coast port workers and management which resulted in a four-day shutdown of ports on the U.S. West Coast from Feb. 13-16.

Acosta Sales & Marketing has appointed Randall J. Weisenburger to its board of directors.

Weisenburger is the managing member of Mile 26 Capital LLC. Previously, he served as the EVP and CFO of Omnicom Group Inc. for 16 years. Omnicom is a strategic holding company that manages a global portfolio of leading advertising, marketing, media services, public relations and specialty communications agencies serving over 5,000 clients in more than 100 counties.

Rockford, Mich. -- Wolverine Worldwide posted fourth-quarter net income of $10.7 million, following a $1.7 million loss for the year-ago period. The company said it is increasing its brand-building investments in 2015, focusing on omnichannel initiatives and international expansion.

New York - Together with its Japanese licensee Sazaby League Ltd., Shake Shack Inc. will open the first-ever Tokyo Shake Shack in 2016. Shake Shack and Sazaby League intend to open one store in Tokyo and 10 total stores in Japan through 2020.

Philadelphia - Urban Outfitters Inc. plans to relocate its Trenton, South Carolina e-commerce fulfillment center to Gap, Pennsylvania. Construction of the new one million-sq.-ft. fulfillment center in Gap is on schedule to be complete by July 2015.

Apple is reportedly planning an overhaul of its once ground-breaking retail stores.

When Apple first opened retail stores 13 years ago, it set out to change retailing in everything from the product displays to the wireless point-of-sale devices and its Genius Bar tech support. The approach was innovative and widely successful.