Logistics

Arlington, Va. – With the deadline to resolve the union contract negotiations at West Coast closing in, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) on Friday said that undertaking essential measures to avoid work stoppage and preserve reliable channels for retail supply chains should be the top priority.

RILA issued the following statement, which it attributed to Kelly Kolb, VP government affairs:

Trenton, N.J. -- TerraCycle, an international recycling company, and The North Face are working together to pursue a solution to the common problem of massive amounts of left over polyethylene bags that are used to protect merchandise through distribution and transit. The North Face has engaged 25 of its retail stores in TerraCycle’s The North Face Polybag Brigade, to ensure these plastic bags get recycled. Together the two companies have kept 1.5 million plastic polybags, equaling more than 62,000 lbs., of plastic out of U.S. landfills.

New York - L.L. Bean had the overall best customer service performance in May, the second time the retailer has topped the list in the past three months. According to monthly benchmark analysis from customer service analysis provider StellaService, L.L. Bean’s performance was strong in nearly every area — fourth in phone, sixth in email, eighth in chat and fourth in returns/refunds.

Manhattan Associates Momentum 2014

“We will have real-time temperature monitoring by the end of the year. Imagine what that means.”

— Tony Thompson, president and COO, Papa John’s International Inc.

“It’s hard to talk to anyone at Amazon. Everything has to be automated through their site.

Scottsdale, Ariz. – Although 50% of CEOs say that their supply chain can be a strategic differentiator in the new omni-channel customer paradigm, 83% of worldwide CEOs believe that their retail supply chains are currently “not optimal” for today’s changing retail environment.

Dublin, Calif. -- dd’s Discounts, a division of Ross Stores, will open its first store in New Jersey, in the town of Ewing, on June 28.

Including this new location, dd’s Discounts will operate approximately 140 locations in 11 states. The company is on schedule to complete its expansion plan to open approximately 20 locations in 2014.

Together, Ross Dress for Less and dd’s Discounts currently operate over 1,300 off-price apparel and home fashion stores in 33 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.

New York -- Walmart will open a new dedicated e-commerce fulfillment, in the Indianapolis suburb of Plainview. The1.2 million-sq.-ft. facility is expected to open in early 2015.

Walmart’s other online dedicated centers are located in Texas and Pennsylvania.