Supply Chain & Merchandising

Denver -- Chipotle Mexican Grill said it will hike prices for the first time in three years, saying that customer loyalty will insulate the chain from pricing fallout.

New menu boards reflecting the 3%-5% higher prices will be in place at all restaurants by this summer, said Chipotle.

Mall-based specialty retailer Express opened its first outlet store at a Tanger outlet mall near Washington, D.C., and has plans for 30 more locations this year.

The operator of 630 predominantly mall-based stores had previously shunned outlet locations, but now views the popular venues as a growth opportunity.

Bethesda, Md. – Enterprise mobile and Big Data solutions and services vendor Digital Management Inc. (DMI) has acquired KnowledgePath, a provider of mobile and omni-channel commerce solutions. With the addition of KnowledgePath, DMI offers an integrated solution set for enterprise mobility, Big Data, mobile and e-commerce.

In the last 12 months the buzz around omnichannel has become the most consistently discussed trend for major retailers. It’s always noteworthy when a trend emerges and becomes a part of the mainstream conversation so quickly, but what is even more noteworthy is how fast omnichannel has become standard operating procedure.

Those looking to understand how the retail industry will perform in the second quarter and beyond can gain an interesting perspective from the outlook shared by one of the world’s largest diversified packaging companies.

Leading online grocer FreshDirect has selected Single Touch Systems to leverage the technology-based mobile media solutions provider’s Reminder Messaging Product.

The messaging program includes implementing order status, delivery status and service notifications.

Jon Barker was named CEO at Omaha-based online furniture retailer Hayneedle to fill a position previously held by Doug Nielsen.

Barker most recently served as Hayneedle’s president and prior to that was COO. Nielsen will remain as the company’s chairman.

"We have incredible talent in our organization and Jon is an exceptional leader,” Doug said. “I am truly excited to have him lead our company during our next phase of growth.” Doug will continue to support Hayneedle as chairman of the board.

Cleveland – The Sherwin-Williams Company reported a slight drop in net income during the first quarter of fiscal 2014, to $115.46 million from $116.18 million. Net sales fared better, rising 9% to $2.37 billion from $2.17 billion.

Christopher M. Connor, chairman and CEO of Sherwin-Williams, cited strong performance in the paint stores group, with slight offset on domestic sales from severe weather, as helping drive consolidated net sales in the quarter. Sherwin-Williams expects consolidated net sales to rise 8%-14% in the second quarter.