Supply Chain & Merchandising

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart is kicking it old school this back-to-school season with its latest viral ad campaign, which features “yo momma” jokes. The campaign follows closely on the heels of the retailer’s similarly irreverent "Ship My Pants" and "Big Gas Savings" campaigns.

Boca Raton, Fla. -- As part of its plan to support a customer-focused omni-channel experience, Office Depot said that, effective July 28, its associates will be enabled with mobile hand-held devices across all stores to provide instant access to extended product information, availability, customer reviews and on-the-spot checkout from anywhere in the store.

San Francisco -- Although most of the 16 electronics retailers scored by the Electronics TakeBack Coalition received an “F” grade, three companies – Staples, Best Buy and Office Depot – were deemed to have effective recycling programs.

More than half of the retailers failed the Coalition’s assessment, including Walmart, Amazon, Costco, Sam’s Club and Sears.

Miami, Fla. -- Famous Footwear has renewed its 8,000-sq.-ft. lease at Kendall Village Center in Miami, Fla., according to Berkowitz Development Group www.berkowitzdevelopment.com. The transaction maintains the 95% occupancy level at the 426,000-sq.-ft. open-air shopping and office destination. Retail space totals 276,000 sq. ft.

Major tenants include the Regal 16-plex Stadium Seating Theater, Old Navy, Gap, Nova Southeastern University, Pier 1 Imports and LA Fitness.

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Office Depot is getting ready to roll out omnichannel initiatives, just in time for the back-to-school season. Beginning July 28, its employees will be equipped with mobile hand-held devices across all stores, which will provide them with tools designed to enhance shoppers’ experience.

Office Depot employees will be able to use the hand-held devices to obtain instant access to extended product information, availability, customer reviews and on-the-spot checkout from anywhere in the store.

More of a mass market future could be in the cards for the Oreck Corporation following acquisition of its assets this week by TTI Group’s Royal Appliance subsidiary, which manufactures well known home improvement and housewares brands.

Oreck filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year and this week the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Tennessee approved the sale of its assets to Royal Appliance for a little more than $17 million and the assumption of certain debt obligations.

New York -- Real estate investment trust W.P. Carey has acquired a Hennes & Mauritz logistics center in Poznan, Poland.

W.P. Carey, through one of its affiliates, purchased the 896,911-sq.-ft. facility for $85 million.

The center, which supplies all of H&M’s Eastern European stores as well as serves as its primary European e-commerce logistics hub, will be leased back to H&M.

Birmingham, Ala. -- Books-A-Million has teamed with On Demand Books to put Espresso Book Machines in BAM’s Portland, Maine, store; a second store is slated for installation at a later date.