Supply Chain & Merchandising

New York — Coming soon to a mall near you…robots?

Mike Kercheval, president and CEO of the International Council of Shopping Centers, is making the case for the use of robots in shopping malls. In an op-ed commentary on CNBC.com,  Kercheval says the robot's potential on the front lines of retail is limitless—and soon, he adds, “it will be difficult to imagine a visit to the local mall without them.”

Here are three reasons Kercheval says we need robots in malls:

The former head merchant for Staples has been named president and CEO of eBags Inc.

The eBags board of directors appointed Mike Edwards as president, CEO and member of the board of directors effective immediately. He also joins the company as a new investor.

Edwards most recently held the position of executive vice president of global merchandising for Staples Inc. 

Sidney, Neb. – Cabela’s Inc. has 400 million new reasons to feel confident about the growth of its Club Visa credit card portfolio.

The retailer has closed a $400 million securitization transaction, including $240 million of Class A-1 Notes with fixed annual interest of 2.25%, and $100 million of Class A-2 Notes with interest at a floating rate equal to one-month LIBOR plus 0.67% per year.

New York — The former head merchant for Staples and former CEO of Borders has been named president and CEO of eBags Inc.

The eBags board of directors appointed Mike Edwards as president, CEO and member of the board of directors effective immediately. He also joins the company as a new investor.

Edwards most recently held the position of executive VP of global merchandising for Staples Inc. 

Cincinnati — The Kroger Co. is sustaining efforts to be more environmentally sound and humane in its business practices.

The grocery giant released its 2015 sustainability report, which included 33,000 tons of waste recycled at 1.061 stores in 2015, a 12% year-over-year increase.

Other highlights from the report include:

Chicago – It appears that Groupon will soon be delivering a whole new service to its customers.

The online discount provider has acquired OrderUp, an on-demand online and mobile food ordering and delivery service operating in nearly 40 markets across the United States.

Paired with Groupon’s approximately 25 million active North America customers, the deal creates an online and mobile food ordering marketplace of significant size and scale.

Staples Inc. has unveiled several enhancements to its e-commerce operations, including new looks for its websites and streamlined checkout features.

The retailer says the refresh of Staples.com features faster performance, a new interface designed for easier navigation and expanded personalization. A leading edge business to business site, the redesigned StaplesAdvantage.com has an updated look and feel with a new homepage dashboard, streamlined browsing and checkout.

Washington, D.C. - The National Retail Federation (NRF) and more than 100 other business groups are formally calling for passage of legislation that would require the Transportation Department to track port statistics.

In a letter addressed to John Thune (R-S.C.), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, the NRF and its allies said this would help prevent a repeat of the congestion and slowdowns that occurred along the West Coast during the labor dispute resolved earlier this year.