Supply Chain & Merchandising

Ace Hardware took home "record" first quarter revenues of $1.2 billion in the first quarter, an increase of 4.3% over last year. The message was a little more muddled for earnings. Though its first quarter net income of $26.1 million was down 12.7% year-over-year, that figure was still 12.0% ahead of plan. It was also a planned reduction owing to the timing of promotions.

Comp-store sales for the quarter were up 6.5% - with comps for the U.S. stores up 7.4%.   Net earnings for the three months ended May 1 were $1.8 billion, up 14.2% compared with net earnings of $1.6 billion in the same quarter last year.  

Target on Tuesday announced the hire of Mark Tritton as EVP and chief merchandising officer. In this role, Tritton will oversee enterprise buying, product design and development, sourcing, visual merchandising strategy and merchandising transformation and operations for the retailer.

A career that began in 1974 as a Giant Eagle supermarket clerk will end on June 30, 2016 as one of the company’s most instrumental figures in recent decades, president and COO John Lucot, will retire after 42 years of service to the Pittsburgh-area grocer.

How fast a retailer offers delivery of online purchases plays a big role in sales conversion and loyalty. According to a new survey of 650 U.S. consumers from same-day delivery provider Dropoff, 60% of respondents reported they have decided not to purchase from a retailer due to slow delivery speed. Almost all consumers (97%) said speed is at least somewhat important in determining whether or not they will purchase a product. Forty percent said it is very important.

Target Corp.’s ongoing recovery stalled a bit in the first quarter as the chain joined the list of retailers posting disappointing Q1 sales amid cool, unspring like weather and sluggish retail spending. But it was not all gloom and doom for the discounter, whose online sales continued their upward course and whose profit topped estimates.

The retail supply chain is one of the most male-dominated areas of the historically male-dominated retail industry, but a growing number of female executives are shifting the paradigm. During the Women in Supply Chain & Technology luncheon held at the recent Manhattan Associates Momentum 2016 conference in Orlando, Florida, three veteran female retail supply chain practitioners discussed the challenges and rewards of their pioneering careers.

Shoppers love a deal – the perception of one anyway – which explains how TJX Companies continues to defy gravity by posting another quarter of strong same store sales growth and improved profitability.