Supply Chain & Merchandising

New York City-based home furnishings retailer Gracious Home has named Rob Morrison as its new chief operating officer. The former Lumber Liquidators executive begins his new role Jan. 6.

At Lumber Liquidators, Morrison was senior VP of stores and operations, a position he held since January 2006. He was also president of Artistic Tile from 2004 to 2005.

Generic drug introductions at Walgreens had a negative impact on total comparable sales, but the company still reported net sales of $7.2 billion, an increase of 7.2%, and a comparable-store sales increase of 6.1% in December.

Calendar day shifts positively impacted total comparable sales by 170 basis points, while generic drug introductions in the last 12 months negatively impacted total comparable sales by 70 basis points. December 2013 had one additional Tuesday and one fewer Saturday compared with December 2012.

Indianapolis -- For the third fiscal quarter of 2014, Hhgregg estimates net sales to be approximately $707.1 million, a decrease of approximately 11.6% as compared to net sales of $799.6 million reported for the third fiscal quarter of 2013.

Redwood Shores, Calif. – Oracle has released Oracle Retail version 14, encompassing new features and functionality across its complete offering of retail business solutions. The enhanced suite of solutions is designed to enable relevant customer engagements across touchpoints, target assortments, drive improved efficiency from inventory and help reduce total cost of ownership.

Ahold USA has opened 120 pickup points for online orders as of the end of 2013. The company hopes to triple its online food sales by 2016, and said the opening of pickup points in the United States and Europe would be an important part of reaching that goal.

Most of the pickup points in the United States are operated under the Stop & Shop, Giant Food of Landover, Md., and Giant Food Stores of Carlisle, Pa., banners. The 120 pickup points compare with only eight a year ago.

Hhgregg cited poor performance in the consumer electronics and wireless categories for preliminary third quarter results which came in below its expectations. Hhgregg now expects its full fiscal year performance to miss previously stated guidance.

For the third fiscal quarter of 2014, Hhgregg estimates net sales to be approximately $707.1 million, a decrease of approximately 11.6% as compared to net sales of $799.6 million reported for the third fiscal quarter of 2013.

Boston – Doug Rauch, former president of Trader Joe’s, reportedly plans to open a pilot store that will charge reduced prices for food that is damaged or expired, but still safe to eat. According to the Boston Globe, The Daily Table will open in the urban Dorchester neighborhood of Boston during 2014 and offer services that are a mix of features offered in supermarkets and restaurants.

New York -- Accenture has been selected by Belk, the largest family-owned and -operated department store company in the United States, to help the retailer deliver a seamless experience to customers across all shopping channels – in-store, online and mobile – as part of its omnichannel transformation initiative. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.