Supply Chain & Merchandising

Goleta, Calif. - Deckers Brands has appointed David E. Lafitte to COO, effective Feb. 2. Lafitte previously served as the company's general counsel.

He replaces Zohar Ziv, who retired from the company on Jan. 16, 2015.

Lafitte has served as general counsel of Deckers since January 2012 and also was a shareholder in the law firm, Stradling, Yocca, Carlson & Rauth, P.C. where he was a member of the firm's board of directors and executive committee.

New York -- Whole Foods Market plans to open six new locations in Chicago, four of which will open in May, according to Crain’s Chicago Business.

The new stores will be located in former Dominick’s locations.

“We took the time to design and build a brand new store for each community that would offer not just a full-service grocery, but also a place to meet friends and share each other’s company,” said Michael Bashaw, president of Whole Foods Market’s Midwest Region, in a statement.

The restructuring of Walmart’s senior executive ranks continues with the latest round of appointments involving some familiar leaders in new roles with curious titles as well as some key resignations.

It may not feel like it in many parts of the country, but spring, the busiest time of the year for home improvement stores, is just around the corner. And Lowe’s is wasting no time in getting ready.

The retailer said it plans to hire 30,000 employees at its stores in the United States during spring. 

Home Depot is sure to follow the move by Lowe's with its own hiring spree in the next few weeks, especially considering it hired as many as 80,000 seasonal employees in winter/spring 2014.

Exter, N.H. – Ice hockey equipment manufacturer Bauer Hockey has selected Epicor Retail solutions to power its first-ever retail stores. The stores , the first of which is set to open in the Boston suburb of Burlington, Massachusetts, in summer 2015 , will showcase the full Bauer product line, offer in-depth product education and will feature an ice rink where customers can test Bauer skates and gear.

Seattle -- Nordstrom announced three new upcoming locations for Nordstrom Rack.

The company will open a 36,000-sq.-ft. store at Wayne Towne Center in Wayne, New Jersey, in fall 2015. This will be the sixth Nordstrom Rack in New Jersey.

In fall 2016, Nordstrom Rack will open a 35,540-sq.-ft. store at Hamilton Crossing in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The property is owned and being developed by The Goldenberg Group.
 

Cary, N.C. – SAS Institute Inc. has recently completed rollouts of CRM, logistics and marketing solutions at several European retailers. For example, Milan, Italy-based online wine retailer Wineverse chose SAS Visual Analytics to increase customer insights and reduce supply chain costs that result in greater customer satisfaction.

San Francisco -- One of the largest eyewear brands in Japan is entering the United States. Tokyo-based Jins, a pioneer of “smart” eyewear, will open a flagship in San Francisco, and launch a U.S. e-commerce site this spring.