Supply Chain & Merchandising

New York -- As Hurricane Sandy bears down on the northeastern U.S., retailers are doing more than stocking up on emergency supplies for their customers – they are making preparations to protect themselves.

According to a Friday report by MarketWatch, Sears Holdings Corp., for example, has a 45-person crisis command team in place to stay in close communication with its personnel housed at Sears and Kmart stores in the at-risk areas.

Atlanta -- The Home Depot said Monday it has completed its merger transaction with U.S. Home Systems, an exclusive supplier of kitchen and bath refacing products to the home-improvement chain.

The transaction was approved by the stockholders of USHS at a special meeting held on Oct. 26, and USHS’ common stock ceased trading on the Nasdaq at market close.

Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar Stores said Friday it has named Colin McGinnis as SVP store operations support, store development and procurement. He will report to Barry Sullivan, EVP store operations.

McGinnis joined Family Dollar in August of 2004 as a regional VP and, in 2006, he was named VP store operations support and process improvement. Most recently, he added additional responsibility for store services, procurement and store development.

As we continue to witness the battle of brick-and-mortar versus online shopping, it’s interesting to see Walmart’s latest ploy to “one-up” their online competition. Their new Walmart To Go service is offering customers same-day delivery of online orders for just $10. While the initial test period is expected to last only through the holidays, the possibility that this could stick makes me think that Walmart To Go might ultimately have some huge implications for brick-and-mortar retail. The big question, of course, is will it work? Can Walmart pull it off?

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced the completion of its increased investment in Yihaodian, a fast-growing Chinese e-commerce company. The chain now holds an approximate 51% stake in the Yihaodian holding company.

"This investment demonstrates we are committed to the development of e-commerce in China and bringing the best possible shopping experience to Chinese customers," said Neil Ashe, president and CEO of Wal-Mart's Global e-commerce division in a statement.

Beijing -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Friday that it plans to open 100 stores in China by 2015, a slowed pace from prior growth rates in the country but still representing ongoing interest in boosting its market share behind the country’s No. 1 player Sun Art Retail Group.

New York -- The Ikea Group plans to become energy and resource independent by 2020, according to the chain’s new “People & Planet Positive” sustainability initiative.

Austin, Texas -- Whole Foods Market said Friday it will acquire six leases from Johnnie's Foodmaster, a family-owned grocery chain based in Chelsea, Mass. The transaction is expected to close Nov. 30.

Johnnie's Foodmaster will close all six locations prior to the closing date, but Whole Foods said it has guaranteed interviews to all Johnnie's Foodmaster employees at the six acquired locations with the goal of hiring as many as possible.