Supply Chain & Merchandising

Macy’s said warm weather took a huge toll on holiday sales, which were much worse than expected, prompting the company to announce major cost-cutting moves.

There is an increasing difficulty in maintaining a skilled technical workforce. As the current workforce ages, technical experts are harder to find and concerns arise around workforce costs.

SPS Commerce Inc., a provider of cloud-based retail supply chain management solutions, is recognizing the need for back-end unification of supply chain and store.

SPS has acquired ToolBox Solutions, a Toronto-based provider of POS analytics and category management services to retailers and CPG suppliers in North America.

Gaithersburg, Md. -- Elion Partners announced it has completed capital improvements for Goshen Plaza in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The 45,654 sq. ft., CVS-anchored shopping center has undergone upgrades to its exterior, landscaping and parking lots.

“Our goal is to increase visibility and enhance the customer’s experience while at Goshen Plaza,” said Juan DeAngulo, managing principal, Elion Partners. “The capital improvement project ensures Goshen Plaza will remain a top community destination for years to come.

Salt Lake City -- X Team International, an international alliance of retail real estate advisors, announced that partners Mountain West Retail and Investment, Dunbar Commercial and Endeavor Real Estate Group, completed three sale-leaseback transactions to Capview Partners for Melrose Family Fashions totaling 32,160 sq. ft. The Melrose Family Fashions stores included in the transaction are located in three Texas cities: Laredo, Odessa and Rio Grande City.

Female executives take leading roles in retail IT arena

If a “leader” is someone who knows how to take charge, achieve goals and inspire others along the way — even in the most trying of circumstances — then the women featured in this special section are leaders in every sense of the word. They have toiled and proved their mettle — and smarts — in a field that traditionally has not been all that female-friendly: technology.

In 2016, retail chains will continue to face increasing competition and high consumer expectations. Changing regulations will also impact retail businesses. We see the regulatory issues below as the most critical for the retail industry this year and beyond.