Sales & Marketing

Omnichannel retailing is increasing the reach companies have to their customers, but the strategy is also increasing customer expectations.

According to a survey of marketing decision-makers in omnichannel consumer products organizations from SAP, 86% of respondents agree that omnichannel has meant that customer and consumer expectations of the organization have increased. Eighty-six percent also agree that the benefits of investing in an omnichannel approach to consumer sales clearly outweigh the challenges.

New York — Teen retailer Delia’s Inc. plans to liquidate operations as it prepares to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection "in the very near term." The struggling retailer has been hurt by sluggish mall traffic, evolving fashion trends and weak online sales. It said it has  unable to find a merger partner, or get an acquisition or financing proposal that would allow it to remain a viable concern.  

Nashville, Tenn. — Genesco Inc. announced that James S. Gulmi, senior VP and CFO, will retire at the end of its current fiscal year.  He will be succeeded as CFO by Mimi E. Vaughn, the company's current senior VP —strategy and shared services.   Gulmi, who has served as Genesco's CFO since 1986, will continue as senior advisor to the company for at least the  next year.    

As the acquisition of Family Dollar moves closer to resolution, would-be acquirers Dollar Tree and Dollar General maintain widely differing views on the superiority of their respective offers and the opinion of federal regulators.

Framingham, Mass. — Staples Inc. has long prided itself on making things for customers. Now the retailer is trying to do the same for suppliers with Staples Exchange, a unified platform that allows vendors to sell through all of Staples’ e-commerce channels, with multiple integration options. Staples does not require vendors to use a third party that charges integration fees, instead giving them a single portal to enroll with all of Staples’ sites.
 

Meijer is responding to a need from food pantries for nutrition education resources by publishing a cookbook that features recipes using ingredients frequently found in food pantries.

The retailer has distributed English and Spanish versions of Simply Cook to its food bank and pantry partners across the Midwest. During the holiday season, food banks see a tremendous increase in demand of free meals per day.

If you talk to retail industry stakeholders about their business priorities for 2015, you will likely hear about their continued focus on omnichannel. But the overall environment is starting to feel different than in years past. Words like “transformation” and “action” are being used to recap the 2014 business landscape. We’re moving past defining omnichannel and now focusing on implementation.

Houston — In its surprise change of leadership, Francesca's Holdings Corp. named Michael W. Barnes as chairman, president and CEO, effective immediately. He joins Fancesca's after serving as CEO of Signet Jewelers since 2011, and leading the company’s $1.46 billion acquisition of Zale Corp. Barnes left the Ohio-based Signet in October, saying he wanted to be closer to his family in Dallas.