Supply Chain & Merchandising

Westside Market, a local New York City grocery retailer, is partnering with Instacart for delivery to the Upper West Side neighborhood.

Instacart customers on the Upper West Side will now have access to an assortment of Westside Market items, all delivered in as soon as one hour. Instacart will deliver from a select Westside Market location to start (110th Street and Broadway), and Instacart prices are the same as Westside Market's in-store prices. Westside Market has five stores in all.

Macy’s blamed warm weather, weak foot traffic and excessive inventory for the company's worse-than-expected third quarter results and said it is studying real estate options for some of its most iconic stores.

Macy’s Inc. on Wednesday blamed warm weather, weak tourist traffic and excessive inventory for the company's worse-than-expected third quarter results. The company said it will not pursue spinning off its properties into a real-estate investment trust, but that it is studying real estate options for some of its most iconic stores.

Store remodels can yield big results, according to Atlas Logistics, with a 7% to 10% increase in sales to existing customers.

It’s recommended that a complete store remodel occur every five to seven years to keep things current. And such remodels can yield big results in terms of increasing sales, according to Atlas Logistics.

It turns out that the No. 1 retail perk for online shoppers is not speedy delivery, according to Deloitte's 30th annual holiday survey of consumer spending intentions and trends.

The survey shows that free shipping is the top retailer policy preferred by shoppers. Furthermore, the ubiquity of personal mobile devices allows consumers to take their time researching purchases and store policies giving them opportunity to request exactly what they want.

Ikea’s U.S. expansion to bring it to another new market

Ikea is looking to open its first store in the state of Indiana.

The home furnishings giant is submitting plans to the City of Fishers, Indiana, to open a 296,000-sq.-ft. store 15 miles northwest of downtown Indianapolis.

Pending approvals, construction of the new Ikea could begin as early as summer 2016, with an opening in fall 2017.

The Seattle Times is reporting that, according to court documents filed last week, Albertsons is currently bidding on 36 of 95 stores being sold by the now-bankrupt Haggen. Albertsons had previously sold 146 stores to Haggen as part of its acquisition of Safeway. [Seattle Times]

For merchants looking to sustainably grow their revenue and future-proof their business in an ever-increasing competitive landscape, there is almost no better decision they can make than expanding beyond their domestic market.