Supply Chain & Merchandising

Retailers in the Eastern part of the United States can expect above-normal temperatures to continue to drive sales of seasonal goods, according to Planalytics, which provides business weather intelligence.

The company advises retailers to position inventory levels appropriately, with strong demand expected for air conditioners, fans and other cooling products, bottled water, sports drinks, suncare, and other essential items for protecting people and animals.  Seasonal products such as tees, sandals, swimwear, shorts, and water toys will also be in high demand in the East.

TradeStone Software said Thursday that Hudson’s Bay Trading Co. has selected the company’s Merchandise Lifecycle Management solutions to unify the retailer’s design, sourcing, ordering and delivery of private-label and branded goods.

Hudson’s Bay Trading Co., parent company of Lord & Taylor and its namesake Canadian chain Hudson’s Bay Co., which operates more than 600 retail locations across its banners the Bay, Zellers, Home Outfitters and Fields.

On Wednesday, Visa Inc. launched a new payment card security initiative that the company said could eliminate the need for retailers and other organizations to store full, 16-digit credit and debit card numbers on their systems.

The move comes in response to long-standing pressure from the National Retail Federation, which maintains that merchants should not be required to store the information because of security risks.

TradeStone Software said Thursday that Hudson’s Bay Trading Co. has selected the company’s Merchandise Lifecycle Management solutions to unify the retailer’s design, sourcing, ordering and delivery of private-label and branded goods.

Hudson’s Bay Trading Co., parent company of Lord & Taylor and its namesake Canadian chain Hudson’s Bay Co., which operates more than 600 retail locations across its banners the Bay, Zellers, Home Outfitters and Fields.

West Marine Inc. reported Thursday that its net revenues for the quarter ended July 3 were $233.4 million, an increase of 8.4% over the year-ago period.

Same-store sales jumped 9.4%.

According to the company, sales benefitted from warmer weather in the northeast. However, “in the southeast, we have been starting to feel the effects of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as boating activities are increasingly restricted,” said Geoff Eisenberg, CEO.