Supply Chain & Merchandising

Ikea is extending its renewable energy commitment with plans for its first biogas-powered fuel cell system on the East Coast.    The home furnishings giant contracted Bloom Energy, Sunnyvale, California, for the design, development and installation of the system, which will be located at Ikea’s location in New Haven, Connecticut. Combined with the 940.8-kW solar array that was installed atop the store in 2012, the fuel cell project will help generate a majority of the store’s energy onsite.   

On Aug. 8, Walmart announced it would buy Jet.com -- one of the fastest growing e-commerce companies in the U.S. -- for a whopping $3 billion.   

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. is expanding its U.S. portfolio yet again.   In its biggest acquisition to date, the Canadian convenience store retailer has agreed to buy CST Brands Inc. for $48.53 per share in cash, with the total deal valued at $4.4 billion, including debt.   Couche-Tard operates more than 12,000 locations globally under several brands, including Circle K. Last year, Couche-Tard acquired The Pantry for about $1.7 billion, including debt, adding more than 1,500 stores to its U.S. footprint.

Mike McNamara, a former executive at British retailer Tesco PLC, joined Target as CIO last summer, moving from London to Minneapolis.   In a Q&A on Target’s website, McNamara discusses highlights of his first year with the discounter and priorities going forward. He also spoke about Target’s tech hiring boom.    

Omnichannel initiatives are crucial to J.C. Penney’s newly-unveiled plan to drive profit and accelerate growth.   In a presentation at its 2016 analyst meeting, Penney said it is seeking to boost its e-commerce and omnichannel experience, starting with a newly redesigned app that enables customers to locate items, apply coupons and access their JCPenney Rewards more easily.    

The world’s biggest online retailer is planning to open a drive-up grocery store in its hometown.   At least that’s according to a report by GeekWire, which said Amazon plans to renovate a site in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood into a 9,759-sq.-ft. retail space where shoppers can pick up groceries that they ordered online.  

Office Depot has joined Staples in the search for a new chief executive.   Office Depot announced Monday that Roland Smith plans to retire as CEO of the company.  In June, Staples CEO Ron Sargent stepped down and the chain is still looking for a successor. The resignations come several months after the merger between the two retailers was dropped over antitrust concerns.  

PetSmart is reaching out to help pets stranded by the Louisiana floods   The chain and its charitable nonprofit arm, PetSmart Charities, are coming to the aid of hundreds of animals left homeless by the Louisiana floods, which is being called the worst natural disaster to hit the United States since Hurricane Sandy.