Supply Chain & Merchandising

Regional sporting goods retailer Sports Chalet has opened a smaller format prototype store in a new downtown Los Angeles retail development known as FIGat7th.

Broomfield, Colo. – Famous Brands International, parent company of TCBY Yogurt and Mrs. Fields Cookies, has appointed Neal Courtney as CEO. Neal had been serving as the company's interim CEO since February and served as COO since May 2012.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Finish Line's current president and COO Steve Schneider has announced his plans to retire after 24 years with the company.

Indianapolis - The Finish Line's first-quarter net income plunged 59% amid start-up costs related to its deal to open branded in-store shops in Macy’s. But the retailer still beat Wall Street expectations. In other news, the company announced a new role for retiring president and COO, Steve Schneider.

The Finish Line earned $5.1 million for the period ended June 1, down from $12.3 million a year ago. Revenue rose 10% to $351.1 million, also beating expectations. Same-store sales were up 2.4%. 

Sunnyvale, Calif. – David’s Cookies competes in a crowded marketplace and even encounters issues resulting from its own brand fragmentation. Trying to locate and convert leads around the world is understandably a huge marketing expense typically involving lots of time and travel. But since implementing the Ariba Discovery trading platform last year, David’s Cookies has found dozens of new clients with much less time, travel and expense.

CHICAGO — Social media powerhouse Facebook is trying go beyond baby photos and cat memes by further integrating commerce into its current platform.

While many large and small retailers already use Facebook's platform to market their wares and enhance their brand awareness, no one has set up shop on the site until now.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Kid Brands' board is going to see some changes, following Hugh Rovit's announcement that he will not be seeking re-election as a director at the company's annual shareholders meeting.

Walnut Creek, Calif.  - In a webinar on June 27,  analysts from RSR Research presented insights gleaned from numerous retail IT-focused events they attended this past spring. Their findings focused on five key areas: next generation POS/store/commerce engine, buy side of omnichannel, user experience, high performance computing and cloud.