Supply Chain & Merchandising

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings is now offering its Kmart and Sears customers the option of ship-to-home delivery for items purchased through online layaway.

The new service – also available on store kiosks now enables shoppers to select, purchase and have the items delivered directly to their homes, bypassing the layaway line altogether. Both retailers will begin the exclusive layaway ship-to-home service starting Nov. 7.

Dallas -- Corner Bakery Café said Wednesday it has named Gary Price as president of the chain.

Family Dollar said it would open 500 new stores next year following the release of record sales and profits on Wednesday morning.

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. — The Wet Seal reported that total sales declined 9.9% to $48.3 million for the month of September. Comparable-store sales fell 12.7% compared with same-store sales that were essentially flat last year.

E-commerce sales, which increased 15% for the month, were a bright spot for the company.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens reported Wednesday that total sales for the month of September fell 7.8% to $5.48 billion. Front-end sales dipped 0.4% and same-store sales for the front decreased 1.5%.

Customer traffic fell off 2.3% in September, but the biggest factor in the slowed performance was the 10.3% decrease in same-store prescription sales for the month.

Overall, same-store sales dropped 11.1%.
 

3M has announced a realignment of its major business groups to better serve global markets and customers, effective immediately.

The new structure will be comprised of five business groups: Consumer (2011 sales of $4.2 billion), Industrial ($9.6 billion), Health Care ($5.0 billion) and two newly formed business groups: Safety & Graphics ($5.5 billion), and Electronics & Energy ($5.7 billion). Previously, the company operated six segments.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp. said Wednesday that its namesake and Kmart stores will offer ship-to-home delivery for items purchased through online layaway.

The new service, which comes at a time when many major retailers are amping up shopper-centric programs for the holiday selling season, is also available on store kiosks, said Sears, enabling customers to bypass the layaway line and select, purchase and have items delivered directly to their homes.

Both retailers will launch the service on Nov. 7.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Wednesday posted a 7.8% decline in its September sales to nearly $5.5 billion, compared with $5.9 billion for the same month in fiscal 2012.