Supply Chain & Merchandising

A private equity group better known for investing in established companies is creating a new dollar store brand after acquiring 330 Family Dollar stores from Dollar Tree.

Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar earlier this year and to satisfy federal regulators, the company agreed to divest 330 Family Dollar stores. The acquiring company is a newly created portfolio company of the private equity firm Sycamore Partners called Dollar Express.

Exceptional customer service continues to drive growth at Publix Supermarkets, which had strong earnings and same-store sales growth in its third quarter.

Publix sales for the third quarter 2015 totaled $7.8 billion, representing a 6.3% increase from last year. Comparable-store sales for the third quarter of 2015 increased 4.2%.

A major national retailer is the latest chain to start offering same-day delivery in a large metropolitan area.

According to Re/code, Best Buy is partnering with third-party delivery service Deliv to offer customers in the San Francisco area, including San Jose, same-day delivery of online orders. The official rollout follows a recent pilot of the service Best Buy conducted with Deliv in the greater San Francisco area.

AutoZone is making some changes to its leadership as the company positions itself for growth and expansion.

The company announced the following promotions:

• Phil Daniele, VP, Commercial Support, promoted to senior VP, commercial
• Bill Hackney, VP, merchandise pricing & analysis, promoted to senior VP, merchandising
• Jim Griffith, VP, store development promoted to senior VP, store operations
• Rod Halsell, VP, distribution promoted to senior VP, supply chain

Amazon.com is not waiting until Black Friday or even Thanksgiving Week to launch its deepest holiday discounts.

The e-commerce giant announced Monday that its Black Friday Deals store is now officially open. In addition, this year Prime members can access more than 30,000 Lightning Deals 30 minutes early, giving Prime members special, early access to deals.

Whole Foods Market is adding a Target veteran with experience in technology and omnichannel marketing to its executive leadership team.

The grocery retailer announced that it has named Don J. Clark global vice president of purchasing for non-perishables.

Whole Foods Market is adding a Target veteran with experience in technology and omnichannel marketing to its executive leadership team.

The grocery retailer announced that it has named Don J. Clark global VP of purchasing for non-perishables.

“He is a proven leader in the retail industry with a clear track record of delivering results. His core values align very well with our company’s, and we are confident that Don will execute a range of innovative strategies that help take our non-perishables business to the next level.”

Target has an aggressive new plan to lure shoppers this holiday season that includes free shipping on all orders and a new international website.

The plan is part of Target CEO Brian Cornell’s efforts to restructure the company and revamp its digital and in-store offerings. Free shipping starts Nov. 1 and ends Dec. 25.