Supply Chain & Merchandising

New York City -- Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, the U.S. division of Tesco, plans to close 12 underperforming stores, according to the Orange County Register. The company, however, left open the door to re-opening the stores at a later date.

The annual consumer electronics extravaganza known as CES gets underway in Las Vegas today, and in conjunction with the show’s kick off Market Research Solutions (MRS) is out with a new report that provides some unconventional insights into the 2011 holiday season and outlook for 2012.

Paso Robles, Calif. -- Daily Systems said Tuesday that college bookstore chain Nebraska Book Co. has implemented its iAPS payment sled for iPhone and iPod touch, which will enable NBC to sell merchandise in seasonal pop-up stores that are set up close to the dorms in the beginning of the semester.

Cleveland -- Agilysys announced that beauty retailer Sephora Americas has successfully deployed NextPosition by Agilysys and RedIron's 2Mobile software to enhance customer service in a large number of its U.S.-based stores.

Boston -- On The Spot Systems, a mobile systems provider, announced that 7-Eleven is using its Survey on the Spot mobile survey platform to capture feedback from managers in the field. 7-Eleven recognized the critical importance of gaining timely and accurate market-level data in order to make better business decisions and began using the mobile survey system in March, according to On The Spot Systems.

GRAPEVINE, Texas — GameStop reported that total sales for the nine-week holiday period ended Dec. 31 were $3.03 billion, up slightly from 2010, thanks to strong sales in new video game software.

Grapevine, Texas -- GameStop Corp. on Monday reported nearly flat sales for the nine-week holiday period that ended on Dec. 31. Total sales were $3.02 million, or about the same as last year. Same-store sales slipped 0.3%.

WEST CHESTER, Pa. — QVC announced that Linda Dillman has been appointed CIO, reporting to QVC president and CEO Mike George.

Dillman, who has more than 20 years of experience leading IT teams, most recently served as SVP global IT at HP. Previously, she was EVP and CIO at Wal-Mart Stores, where she was instrumental in transforming the supply chain management model for Walmart, according to a QVC press release.