Supply Chain & Merchandising

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has signed a 42,000-sq.-ft. lease to open a Neighborhood Market at Nor-Dan Shopping Center in Danville, Virginia. The store is planned to open in 2016 and will employ approximately 95 people.

Nor-Dan Shopping Center is a 161,428-sq.-ft. community center anchored by Big Lots and It's Fashion Metro, operated by Phillips Edison & Co.

Surging rents in Manhattan have claimed another victim, and this time it's one of the city's most iconic retail establishments.

Philadelphia – Urban Outfitters Inc. missed Wall Street expectations for net income, sales and same-store sales during the first quarter of fiscal 2015. Net income fell 12% to $32.78 millio,n from $37.48 million the same quarter a year earlier.

Lower margins and higher delivery and fulfillment expense helped drive down net income. Sales reached a record high of $739 million, up 8% from $686.31 million, but still fell short of Wall Street expectations. Same-store sales rose 4%.

Alpharetta, Ga. - McAlister's Deli has signed three development agreements with new and existing franchisees to open restaurants in Southern Georgia and North, Central and Southwest Florida.

Existing franchisee DMAC 81 LLC, based in Summerville, South Carolina, plans to open several new restaurants between southern Georgia and northern Florida.

Kohl’s is preparing to open a store in Southern New Jersey called "Off Aisle by Kohl's," a name that suggests the company may be following the lead of other retailers opening off-price formats.

It is not readily apparent what the assortment or pricing will be at the new offering from Kohl's. Multiple attempts to reach representatives at Kohl's were unsuccessful.

Littleton, Mass. – Dover Saddlery Inc. experienced an increase in net loss during the first quarter of fiscal 2015, seeing it jump to $776,000 from $543,000 the same quarter a year earlier. Total revenues rose 16% to $22.8 million from $19.7 million, and same-store sales rose 3%.

Retailers are poised to benefit from a new deal between Accenture and Javelin Group, a UK-based retail strategy consulting and digital transformation services provider.

The acquisition will expand the capabilities of Accenture Strategy to help the world’s leading retailers and consumer brands accelerate their digital transformation. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, and completion of the acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions.

Deerfield, Ill. – Walgreens provides localized offerings in its new and remodeled store formats. To support this effort, Walgreens has implemented JDA Software’s Category Management solution.

Walgreens can now analyze the existing performance of a planogram, using the data to answer key questions about why a category is behaving in a certain way. Planogram data is shared into all parts of the organization, including but not limited to the e-commerce, pricing, markdown, and operations teams.