Supply Chain & Merchandising

SPARKS, Md. — McCormick announced that Chuck Langmead has been promoted to president of global industrial. In his new role, Langmead will help McCormick drive sales growth by aligning its customer intimacy efforts and driving its strategy consistently across McCormick's industrial businesses worldwide.

I have to admit, the recent announcement of the merger between Office Depot and OfficeMax took me by surprise. It’s not as though it doesn’t make sense — it’s logical both logistically and financially — but, while there had been a few rumblings and rumors, this is a dramatic move that took place with relatively little forewarning.

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. — GSI Commerce, an eBay Inc. company, said it has extended its contract with PetSmart to support the retailer’s omnichannel strategy with webstore, fulfillment and customer service solutions. GSI has worked with PetSmart since 2007, and this contract will extend the relationship for three years.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples reported Wednesday that profit for the quarter ended Feb. 2 fell 72% to $78.1 million from $283.6 million, impacted by store closings and other charges.

Revenue edged up 3% to $6.57 billion, boosted by an extra week in the period. Results missed Wall Street’s expected $6.71 billion in revenue. Same-store sales fell 5%, excluding e-commerce revenue.

For the full year, Staples lost $210.7 million, compared to net income of $984.7 million in the year-ago period. Annual revenue dipped 1% to $24.38 billion.

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot announced that the company’s global headquarters, located in Boca Raton, Fla., has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star certification for the second consecutive year. The certification signifies the building performs in the top 25% of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency.

DOVER, N.H. — Zander Livingston, CEO of Truecount Corp, an RFID software provider, announced that Truecount is introducing a new Software as a Service (SaaS) pricing and deployment model that places inventory visibility and all other RFID benefits within the reach of any size retailer. 

WASHINGTON — A show devoted to snack food is expected to draw suppliers from 22 countries when it kicks off in May, the show's sponsoring organization said.

The 2013 Sweets & Snacks Expo, which will take place May 21-23 at Chicago's McCormick Place, is expected to be the most successful in the event's 16-year history, with a nearly sold-out show floor, according to the National Confectioners Association.

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets on Tuesday reported net income of $82.5 million for the 52-week period ended Dec. 29. Even with one less week of sales, that's up 9.2% versus fiscal 2011, which was a 53-week period, the grocer noted. Sales were down slightly by 1.9% to $2.7 billion compared with the week-longer year-ago period. Comparable sales were down 2%. 

Adjusting for the 52-week to 53-week comparison, the grocer's 2012 net income increased 13.9% while sales and comparable store sales were flat.