Supply Chain & Merchandising

Wisconsin-based, 21-store grocery retailer Festival Foods takes food safety so seriously that it no longer thinks about it.

That’s because Festival Foods has chosen the food safety platform from ReposiTrak to automatically manage regulatory and business documentation compliance within its supply chain.

Save-A-Lot, the deep-discount division of grocery giant Supervalu, on Wednesday named a supermarket veteran with more than 30 years of experience as its new CEO. Eric Claus, 59, takes the reins of Save-A-Lot after spending the past two-plus years as chairman, president and CEO of Red Apple Stores Inc., a chain of value retail stores based in Canada.

The nation’s largest supermarket operator has been on a tear since 2014, increasing its portfolio through acquisitions, reports The Cincinnati Enquirer. “We could get more deals by Kroger – and we should get more deals, more stores and more growth,” Scott Mushkin, an analyst with Wolfe Research in New York, said in the report. [The Cincinnati Enquirer]

Strong sales at Maurices and Lane Bryant weren’t enough to lift Ascena in the first quarter, as the company reported a decrease in comps.

For the period ended Oct. 24, the company reported a net loss of 10 cents per diluted share compared to net income of 32 cents per diluted share in the same period of fiscal 2015. The company blamed the decrease on transaction costs related to the acquisition of Ann Inc., which closed during the first quarter fof fiscal 2016. Comps dropped 3% in the first quarter.

Cabela's has confirmed that it is in the process of reviewing strategic alternatives weeks after speculation surfaced that Bass Pro Shops is looking to acquire the retailer.

Cabela's announced Wednesday that its board of directors is initiating a process to explore and evaluate a wide range of strategic alternatives to further enhance shareholder value.

Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) is going green for its first store in Lower Manhattan.

The retailer will open a 25,000-sq.-ft. store at Westfield World Trade Center, set to open in spring 2016. It will be H&M’s 17th location in New York City, and its first U.S. store to apply for LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification.

Everything old is new again at American Eagle Outfitters, apparently with good reason.

The teen apparel retailer on Wednesday named Jay L. Schottenstein as CEO, effective immediately. Schottenstein, who has served as interim chief since January 2014, will also continue in his role as executive chairman of the board. The news of his appointment came as the retailer reported a strong increase in its third quarter earnings. It was the chain’s third consecutive quarter of increased sales and profits.

Retailers are paying more and offering more incentives to secure experienced in-store help to increase sales.