Supply Chain & Merchandising

Suffern, N.Y. -- Ascena Retail Group Inc reported its fiscal third-quarter profit rose to $33.2 million, from $31.2 million in the year ago period.

Revenue inched up 0.3% to $1.145 billion, compared to $1.142 billion a year earlier, driven by new store growth at Justice and Maurices, along with higher comparable sales at Lane Bryant, Maurices and Catherines, mostly offset by comparable sales declines at Justice and Dressbarn.

Total same store sales rose 1%.

WTI expects June 2014 to trend similar to last year and above normal for the U.S. as a whole. Cooler and more normal temperatures can be expected from the Western Plains to the Rocky Mountain states. Temperatures will be cooler than last year along the West Coast, but still above normal with slightly weaker demand for summer categories. In the Northeast, temperatures will trend similar to last year while precipitation trends drier than a very wet June 2013, which will benefit store traffic and increase demand for outdoor categories.

King of Prussia, Pa. -- eBay Enterprise, an eBay company, plans to increase adoption of omnichannel commerce technologies globally after securing 451 clients and 862 extension and renewals in the first half of 2014. The brands that turned to eBay Enterprise to power their retail growth include Alex and Ani, Boxpark, Destination XL, Karmaloop, MailPix and StubHub.

Current clients have also added new services to enhance the consumer experience.

By J. Kent Smith, Galleria RTS

The long established buzzword, “localization” is more important today than it has ever been. The approach of ever broadening assortments has clogged shelves, exaggerated mark-down costs and compromised returns; with slotting fees no longer sufficient to bridge the gap. Put simply, retailers are out of space, capital and resources; urgent action is required.

Chicago -- ShopperTrak, a leading global provider of consumer behavior insights and location-based analytics, announced it has signed Journeys as its 1,000th customer.

eBay Enterprise, an eBay company, plans to increase adoption of omnichannel commerce technologies globally after securing 451 clients and 862 extension and renewals in the first half of 2014.

Leading brands that turned to eBay Enterprise to power their retail growth include Alex and Ani, BOXPARK, Destination XL, Karmaloop, MailPix and StubHub.

Current clients have also added new services to enhance the consumer experience.

San Jose, Calif. -- Hispanic supermarket chain Mi Pueblo Foods announced its formal emergence from Chapter 11 reorganization after having completed a necessary financial restructuring. The company also announced that Javier Ramirez has been named president and CEO. He will succeed Mi Pueblo founder Juvenal Chavez, who will be named chairman of the board.
 
Ramirez is a seasoned CEO in the Hispanic food and grocery sector.
   

By Anand Medepalli, VP of Solution Strategy, JDA Software Group Inc.

There will be more changes in retail the next 10 years than what has been seen in the last 50 years. Maybe that’s why omnichannel retailing is a hot topic. Omnichannel retailing centers on providing a seamless shopping experience regardless of channel to deliver a unified and customized shopping experience.