Supply Chain & Merchandising

Office Depot continues to hope its merger with Staples secures approval from U.S. regulators, but in the meantime the performance of its retail operations is looking much better should it remain an independent company.

Office Depot’s North American retail footprint did shrink to 1,564 locations at the end of the year after the company closed a total of 181 stores, including 56 in the fourth quarter. Thinning the herd a bit helped the overall profitability of Office Depot’s largest division during the period ended Dec. 26 even though sales declined.

Macy’s says cold weather in January helped the retailer report a better than expected decrease in same store sales for the fourth quarter even as the company explores an expansion of its off-price and beauty formats.

For the period ended Jan. 30, same store sales fell 4.3%, slightly less than the 4.7% fall it had estimated. Total sales declined to $8.87 billion.

Retailers who are looking to provide a genuine omnichannel customer experience can take one crucial step to help themselves.

According to a new study of more than 300 global retail CEOs, including 100 U.S. CEOs, from enterprise retail technology provider JDA Software Group Inc. and PwC, operational silos are a key inhibitor to delivering an integrated, seamless experience. Only 18% of CEOs said they have eliminated operational silos and are delivering seamless omnichannel shopping experiences for their customers.

Discount grocer Aldi will make its long-awaited California debut on March 24, with the opening of eight Southland stores. But that’s just the beginning of the company’s expansion plans for the market.

In all, Aldi plans to open approximately 45 stores in Southern California by the end of 2016. The opening of Aldi in California is part of the company's five-year strategic plan to open 650 new stores across the nation. By the end of 2018, the grocer expects to operate nearly 2,000 stores.

Atlanta-based The Home Depot reported record fourth-quarter and fiscal year results, as it emphasized "the interconnected customer experience" and rode a recovering U.S. housing market.

The company's fourth-quarter sales were a record $21.0 billion, up 9.5% from the same quarter last year. Net earnings for the three months were $1.5 billion, compared with $1.4 billion a year ago.

Comp-store sales for the fourth quarter were up 7.1%, and up 8.9% for U.S. stores.

DSW has a robust store expansion plan in the works to tap future penetration within the U.S. market this year.

"New store growth is an important and exciting piece of the DSW formula. It allows us to bring the brand to more communities and build relationships with new customers. More stores also enable us to provide additional customers with immediate access to our full assortment. We look forward to engaging with these new customers and helping them find the perfect shoe at the prefect price," said Valara Gee, VP Stores

Retailers who are looking to provide a genuine omnichannel customer experience can take one crucial step to help themselves.
 
According to a new study of more than 300 global retail CEOs, including 100 U.S. CEOs, from enterprise retail technology provider JDA Software Group Inc. and PwC, operational silos are a key inhibitor to delivering an integrated, seamless experience. Only 18% of CEOs said they have eliminated operational silos and are delivering seamless omnichannel shopping experiences for their customers.
 

Specialty vertical apparel retailer Perry Ellis International is solidifying its enterprise approach to the systems that support store processes.

Perry Ellis teamed with retail system integration and development services provider BTM Global to implement Oracle Retail Point-of-Service (ORPOS) v14 and Oracle Retail Store Inventory Management (SIM) v14 for its stores throughout the U.S.