Supply Chain & Merchandising

After 44 years with Kroger, Smith’s division president Jay Cummins announced plans to retire.

Cummins joined the company in 1972 as a clerk. His retirement will take effect April 29, the company said. A replacement to lead the 139 unit Salt Lake City-based division was not immediately named.

Ahold USA is following a cue from other retail giants in announcing that its companies' private label shell eggs will be 100% cage-free by 2022.

Ahold USA says its retail divisions – Stop & Shop, Giant Food of Landover, Giant Food Stores of Carlisle, Martin's and online grocer Peapod – now offer cage-free, free-range, organic, and traditional egg varieties for its customers.  Approximately 80% of all eggs sold among Ahold USA companies are sold as "Own Brands" or private label.

CVS Health's decision to stop selling cigarettes is having its intended impact - 52% of those consumers who used to buy their cigarettes from CVS say it is now harder to buy cigarettes altogether, according to a survey commissioned by V2, a manufacturer of electronic cigarette and vaporizer products. Out of that group, 73% called the impact manageable, stating that “buying cigarettes is now harder but I have other options” and 27% said it made buying them “much harder.”

Specialty retailer The Limited is attempting to build loyalty even when a customer isn’t satisfied with a purchase.

The Limited is deploying Narvar Returns, a solution from post-purchase experience platform provider Narvar. Narvar Returns provides customers with an intuitive digital experience where they can select eligible items from their order, share feedback and choose the most convenient return method.

CVS Health's decision to stop selling cigarettes is having its intended impact - 52% of those consumers who used to buy their cigarettes from CVS say it is now harder to buy cigarettes altogether, according to a survey commissioned by V2, a manufacturer of electronic cigarette and vaporizer products.

Retailing Today's sister publication Chain Store Age recently spoke with Vishwa Chandra, VP of retail accounts for Instacart, to get a better sense of the current and future state of online delivery.
 
What is driving growing consumer interest in online delivery?

A disconnect between brick-and-mortar retailers and their mobile strategies could be hurting sales.