Supply Chain & Merchandising

Pittsburgh -- Dick’s Sporting Goods grand-opened three new stores on Friday, bringing the total store count to 541 in the U.S.

The chain opened a store in Redding, Wash., at the Redding Hilltop Center, its 30th store in the state of Washington. A new opening in Victorville, Calif., at The Mall of Victor Valley, marks the 31st Dick’s store in California.

And in Kansas, at the Midstate Plaza in Salina, Dick’s opened its eighth store in the state.

West Chester, Pa. - Dr. Ulrich Flatten will retire as CEO, QVC Germany at the end of the year, after 12 years of service to the company. Under his leadership, Germany has developed into QVC's largest European business and its second largest business outside of the United States.

Shelton, Conn. -- TABS Group, a technology-enabled analytics firm, has announced the formation of a senior-level team dedicated to supporting internal and customer-related initiatives with Walmart.

TABS Group will tap into its new talent base to obtain a comprehensive understanding as to how the largest U.S. retail chain operates on a chain and local level. The insights gained will benefit Walmart and consumer products manufacturers and further contributes to the firm's mission to simplify and improve the way analytics is conducted within the industry.

Westwood Village, Calif. — Urban Outfitters has signed a lease with Topa Management Co. for 16,556 sq. ft. in Westwood Village, Calif., more than doubling the size of its presence in the urban village. The McDevitt Co. represented both parties in the transaction.

The new store, Urban Outfitters third largest in California, has original exposed brick wall, ironwork and high ceilings and provides a brand appropriate space for the retailer.

Lumber Liquidators spokesman Clint Roberts responded to sister publication HCN's requests for comment regarding the ongoing federal investigation into its sourcing practices. Multiple reports have suggested that the investigation is linked to the Environmental Investigation Agency, which claims the retailer is purchasing wood illegally in protected forests in Far East Russia.

Safeway plans to exit the Chicago market where it operates 72 supermarkets under the Dominick’s banner by early 2014 after posting third quarter profits that were roughly half those of the comparable period the prior year.
The decision to exit Chicago follows similar move earlier this year when Safeway announced the sale of its Canadian operations.

Retail Process Engineering, an innovative retail merchandising and supply chain solutions provider, has appointed Tom DiPinto as an account executive. 

DiPinto has more than 20 years of experience in enterprise class software solutions with deep experience in retail, project management and systems implementation. He will be responsible for identifying new clients and working with existing clients to align software solutions with business objectives to improve processes, grow the business and save money. 

Seattle – Starbucks is opening a new Evolution Fresh juicery in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., that the retailer says will quadruple its production of cold-pressed, never-heated juice. The $70 million, 264,000-sq.-ft. facility features advanced technology such as High Pressure Processing (HPP) machines.