Distribution

Mississauga, Canada - Federal Express Canada Ltd. has reached an agreement with Home Hardware Stores Ltd. that allows individual dealer-owners the ability to house full-service FedEx Authorized ShipCenters within their stores. The FedEx Authorized ShipCenters will be rolled out across Canada in a series of implementation waves throughout the year.

Things are looking good for Supervalu, which reported fourth quarter fiscal 2014 net sales of $4 billion, up 1.4%, and net earnings of $26 million, or $0.10 per diluted share.

"Fiscal 2014 was an important transition year for Supervalu as we stabilized the organization and set the foundation for our future,” stated Sam Duncan, Supervalu president and CEO. “I am pleased with the direction of our business segments and look forward to the new fiscal year where we can focus our attention on driving sales growth across the organization.”

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- These days, virtually everyone is a cross-channel shopper: 95% of consumers frequently or occasionally shop a retailer's website and store, according to a recent survey by CFI Group that was sponsored by eBay Enterprise.

The study, “Omni-Channel Insights,” reveals that consumers expect exceptional service, while having the convenience of seamless in-store and online shopping.

New York -- E-commerce company Birchbox, which provides subscribers with monthly boxes of personalized beauty products for a monthly fee, has launched managed fulfillment operations and small parcel management with third party logistics provider OHL. The new fulfillment center is located in Mount Juliet, Tenn., providing a more centralized location and faster transit times for Birchbox customers across the U.S.

Hershey achieved many of its sustainability goals more quickly than planned and the efforts of product lifecyle and reverse logistics leader GENCO illustrate how Hershey made it happen.

The Hillshire Brands Company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Catterton portfolio company Van’s Natural Foods. Van’s is a leading better-for-you food brand of frozen breakfast and snack foods.

Hillshire Brands will pay $165 million for Van’s, which is expected to have net revenues of approximately $60 million in calendar year 2014. The transaction is expected to close in May 2014 pending regulatory clearance.

Seattle -- REI has committed to having all of its electricity from renewable sources. The retailer already has 26 solar electric systems generating clean power and a program designed to invest in energy efficiency. Now, REI is buying certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) as part of its strategy to green the energy that powers more than 130 stores, two distribution centers and its headquarters.

Those looking to understand how the retail industry will perform in the second quarter and beyond can gain an interesting perspective from the outlook shared by one of the world’s largest diversified packaging companies.

Cleveland – The Sherwin-Williams Company reported a slight drop in net income during the first quarter of fiscal 2014, to $115.46 million from $116.18 million. Net sales fared better, rising 9% to $2.37 billion from $2.17 billion.

Christopher M. Connor, chairman and CEO of Sherwin-Williams, cited strong performance in the paint stores group, with slight offset on domestic sales from severe weather, as helping drive consolidated net sales in the quarter. Sherwin-Williams expects consolidated net sales to rise 8%-14% in the second quarter.

Jon Barker was named CEO at Omaha-based online furniture retailer Hayneedle to fill a position previously held by Doug Nielsen.

Barker most recently served as Hayneedle’s president and prior to that was COO. Nielsen will remain as the company’s chairman.

"We have incredible talent in our organization and Jon is an exceptional leader,” Doug said. “I am truly excited to have him lead our company during our next phase of growth.” Doug will continue to support Hayneedle as chairman of the board.