Supply Chain & Merchandising

Walmart has extended an electronics trade-in program to the gaming category and will introduce the sale of refurbished games later this year in a move that could boost traffic to the entertainment department.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Starting Wednesday, March 26, Wal-Mart customers will be able to trade in their video games and apply the value immediately toward the purchase of anything sold at Walmart and Sam’s Club, both in stores and online. The traded-in games will then be sent to be refurbished and made available for purchase in like-new condition at a reduced price.

The program will work as follows:

• Customers bring their working video games, in the original packaging, to the electronics department.

Northbrook, Ill. – Trustees of Northbrook, Ill. reportedly are considering a 43,000-sq.-ft. retail development. According to the Chicago Tribune, the development sits on a four-acre parcel near the border with Glenview, Ill., which is owned by Svigos Asset Management.

GE has appointed Charles Nugent as VP, manufacturing, for GE Oil & Gas, reporting to Lorenzo Simonelli, SVP and CEO of GE Oil & Gas.

GE has 192 officers globally who lead large revenue-generating businesses or are in critical technology or functional roles, charged with helping to drive growth.

Nugent has been with the company for 30 years, holding a number of leadership roles in plant management and operations with GE Aviation. Most recently, he served as senior executive of product management at GE Aviation.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. plans to open five franchise-operated Old Navy stores in the Philippines in 2014. The first two Old Navy stores will open in Manila in March and there are plans to open three more stores in the second half of the year for a total of five Old Navy stores in 2014.

The first of two Old Navy stores, a dedicated three-story building, will open in the heart of Manila’s fashion and shopping district, Bonifacio High Street, on March 22. The second store will open in the prominent Glorietta mall on March 29.

New York -- Kohl's Department Stores was honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its efforts to reduce emissions linked to climate change. The retailer was recognized with EPA’s Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Achievement) Award for reducing carbon emissions by improving the energy efficiency in its stores and buying renewable energy and installing solar panels.

REI, a leading specialty retailer of outdoor gear and apparel, achieved record annual sales of $2 billion in 2013, up 5.9% from $1.9 billion the previous year, despite a challenging retail environment and severe winter weather.

Comparable store sales, including direct-to-consumer sales, increased 2.9%.

Milwaukee – Roundy’s Supermarkets has selected Symphony EYC Customer Insights behavioral insights platform and expertise to enable customer-centric business processes. With Symphony EYC, Roundy's will gain and leverage consumer insights to optimize product selection, customer communication and other critical functions across all Roundy's grocery stores and pharmacies throughout the Midwest.