Supply Chain & Merchandising

Milan, Italy – Luxottica is rolling out the SAP Fashion Management application. The retailer is implementing the solution with the goal of bringing wholesale and retail operations onto a single, vertical platform sharing the same master data, global inventory and processes.

The Woodlands, Texas -- Conn’s, a specialty retailer of home appliances, furniture, mattresses, consumer electronics, announced the opening of its first two Conn’s HomePlus stores in Tennessee.

The HomePlus store format showcases furniture and mattresses in addition to the leading brands and the latest technologies in consumer electronics and home appliances. The stores are at Cross Creek, in Memphis, and at Town & Country Commons, in Knoxville.

Foothills Ranch, Calif. -- Fashion retailer Wet Seal Inc. swung to a loss in its  first quarter amid declining sales. The company reported a loss of $21.8 million, compared with a year-earlier profit of $3.1 million.

Sales fell 17% to $116.7 million. Total same-store sales, including e-commerce, fell 16.9%.
 
Wet Seal said it was challenged by  weak mall traffic, higher promotional activity and disruptive weather as challenges for the quarter.

The car Dollar General sponsored in this year’s Indianapolis 500 may have finished 14th, but the retailer’s race team gained notoriety for another reason.
 
For the first time ever, the pit crew for the Dollar General sponsored Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team contained a female member tire changer. Jessica Mace became the first woman to “go over the wall,” racing parlance used to described those who work on cars when they enter the pit stall, during the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500.
 

Checkpoint Systems, a leading global supplier of merchandise availability solutions for the retail industry, has launched the next generation of intelligent electronic article surveillance (EAS) solutions.

The Evolve iRange is made up of six different EAS antennas, a broad range of EAS labels designed for visible and source-tagging application to various types of merchandise, and the Counterpoint iD deactivation unit for faster and consistent deactivation at point-of-sale (POS).

Montreal -- Town Shoes Ltd. will upgrade its POS and merchandising systems with the Jesta I.S. Vision solutions in its network of close to 200 stores across Canada. With the upgraded suite of solutions, Town Shoes will be able to modernize its supply chain and deliver the right products to customers, faster than ever before.

New York -- Target will test same-day delivery in three markets as the online shipping war among retailers continues to gain momentum. Target will launch a $10 rush delivery pilot in June in the Minneapolis, Boston, and Miami, markets, offering guests the ability to order as late as 1:30 p.m. in the afternoon and receive a delivery of qualifying items between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. the same day, the company stated in its recent quarterly call with analysts.

Memphis -- AuzoZone’s earnings rose a better-than-expected 7.4% to $285.2 million for the third quarter, up from $265.6 million in the year ago period, helped by demand for new parts.
 
Revenue rose 6.2%  to $2.34 billion. Domestic same store sales rose 4% in the quarter.

During the quarter, AutoZone opened 30 new stores in the United States and seven new locations in Mexico. As of May 10, the company had a total of 5,279 stores, including 4,901 domestically and 374 in Mexico.