Supply Chain & Merchandising

San Bernardino, California - Stater Bros. will open a store in Covina, California on Wednesday, December 10, 2014.     The new “Blue Ribbon” supermarket is the 26th Stater Bros. location in Los Angeles County. It includes many environmentally friendly features, including:   • LED lighting throughout the entire store; • New lighting system that uses dimming ballasts, energy efficient lamps and occupancy sensors;

Eastern Mountain Sports has enlisted JustEnough Software Corp., a leading provider of demand management solutions for retail, wholesale and direct-to-consumer businesses worldwide, to improve its inventory capabilities for its brick-and-mortar as well as its Internet site.

Easy access to an expanded offering of online inventory is the premise behind Staples Exchange, a marketplace-like concept that allows suppliers to leverage Staples’ online presence.

Staples doesn’t call its new Staples Exchange a marketplace – the term used by Amazon to describe the massive aggregation of third party sellers on its site – but rather and a world-class platform that makes it easy for suppliers to offer products to Staples customers.

Oakville, Canada — The proposed merger between Tim Hortons Inc. and Burger King Worldwide Inc. has been approved by the Minister of Industry under the Investment Canada Act ("ICA"). The companies have set the deadline for registered shareholders of Tim Hortons or Burger King Worldwide to make an election by Dec. 9, with the assumption the proposed merger will occur Dec. 12.

Weakening demand for guns and ammunition contributed to a 6.2 percent decline in same store sales at outdoor retailer Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings.

The comp decline was offset by an increase in new stores which allowed the company to grow sales by 4.3 percent to $182.5 million and end the third quarter on Nov. 1 with 55 stores. Profits on an adjusted basis to exclude non-recurring expenses were $8.9 million, or 21 cents a share, compared to $7.1 million, or 17 cents a share.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. — Kohl’s Department Stores had a tough third quarter that included a 20% drop in profits, but the retailer reportedly sees its loyalty program and mobile wallet as important competitive assets. According to the Wall Street Journal, a 300-store pilot program of the new Kohl’s loyalty program garnered 10 million enrollees, and another 10 million shoppers have joined since the program went nationwide in October.  

Genesco detailed succession plans for its CFO on a day that the company also reported weaker-than-expected earnings for the fiscal third quarter and lowered its outlook for the full year.

Pittsburgh — American Eagle Outfitters’ profit fell 63% in the third quarter, to $9.03 million from $24.9 million in the year-ago period. The drop was partially driven by costs related to a restructuring program that includes closing underperforming stores and reducing headquarters headcount.