Supply Chain & Merchandising

When it comes to supporting liquor sales, the Granite State is looking for a rock-solid enterprise foundation.   The New Hampshire Liquor Commission, which operates 79 retail stores across New Hampshire, is turning to the Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP platform. The New Hampshire Executive Council has approved a contract with global Microsoft Dynamics partner AlfaPeople to implement and support the application. The $19 million dollar, 10-year contract was won in competition with multiple solutions and through a multi-year selection process.

Enough of the “retail is dying” narrative that has dominated so many headlines the past few months. It’s way overplayed.

Brick-and-mortar is evolving, not dying. And it’s full of exciting new players — many of them digitally native — that are infusing the industry with something it can always use: new blood. Here’s a quick rundown of some of these newcomers to the physical space:

It’s important to look beyond the traditional hard metrics of ROI to determine the bottom line value of an IT solution. Here are five key areas CFOs need to consider when evaluating technology:

1. Sales growth: There are many types of applications that can drive increased sales, but some of the most common are solutions that optimize pricing, including markdowns. Determining the ideal price for maximizing sales without cutting profits at a store level is too complex for merchants to do on their own.

Tractor Supply Co. supports expansion with science

Since taking over as CIO of Target Corp. in February 2015, Mike McNamara has been aggressively developing a new operational model for IT. 

About two-thirds (64%) of the United States is covered by prescriptive lighting rebates, according to BriteSwitch, a rebate fulfillment company. These rebates can significantly reduce the installed cost of new lighting in existing buildings and improve payback by 20% to 25%, which would reduce a two-year payback to about 1.5 years.

PGA Tour Superstore is growing its retail presence even as many other big-box stores downsize.     The chain will open a 45,500-sq.ft. store at Woodlands Shopping Center, Houston, in a former Sports Authority location, this fall. It’s the first Houston location for the company, whose controlling owner is Arthur Blank, co-founder of Home Depot.  

Tuesday, July 12 marks the return of Amazon Prime Day.   Based on last year’s results, Amazon will grab a sizable chunk of all online sales that day. Special “countdown deals” starting July 5 will also help funnel more e-commerce traffic than normal in Amazon’s direction. Walmart is countering with its own July online sales event built around its ShippingPass free shipping program.