Supply Chain & Merchandising

PetSmart continues to grow its store portfolio — and is also testing new formats.    The chain opened 20 stores across the U.S. and Canada for the quarter ending October 31, 2016. This adds to the 23 stores it opened in the first and second quarters, bringing the total number for the year to 43 new locations.   

Allen Edmonds, the nearly 100-year-old men’s footwear and accessories brand whose products are handmade in Port Washington, Wisconsin, has a new owner.   Caleres announced it has acquired Allen Edmonds from private equity firm Brentwood Associates for $255 million. In addition to operating stores under the Famous Footwear banner, Caleres has a diverse portfolio of footwear brands.  

Thirteen minutes — that’s all it took from the time the customer clicked “order” on Amazon to when the package was delivered in the first official legal delivery of the Internet giant’s PrimeAir drone delivery service in rural England.    

The start of the holiday shopping season did not bring with it a big jump in retail sales.        Retail sales, excluding automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants, increased 0.1% in November, according to the National Retail Federation, less than many analysts had expected.       

To inject new life into its struggling chain, Sears Canada is hopes its newest venture will lure in shoppers — especially foodies.   A new partnership with two specialty supermarket operators is enabling Sears Canada to run high-end markets at dedicated locations. The chain is banking on grocery shoppers’ frequent store visits to bolster store visits, Canadian Grocer reported.  

Tilly’s is making a bold move in driving omnichannel experiences in-store.   Armed with Aptos’ cloud-based Singular Commerce platform, the teen apparel retailer can now integrate all omnichannel operations and data at store-level, giving users one complete view of customers, inventory, orders, and the customer’s overall path-to-purchase.   

Love’s Travel Stops is known for its fresh restaurant offerings, so ensuring food quality throughout the supply chain is paramount.   By adding a food temperature monitoring and task logging system from Digi International, the convenience store chain is simplifying employee tasks, and ensuring public health compliance.   

American Apparel witnessed a bright light in its ongoing financial saga.   The beleaguered specialty retailer has court approval to use the remainder of its $30 million bankruptcy loan. American Apparel filed Chapter 11 in November, its second filing in 15 months.