Omnichannel

Warrendale, Pa. - Specialty apparel retailer Rue21 is upgrading to the latest version of the Epicor Retail Store POS solution. Leveraging Epicor Retail Store, Rue21 will unify the customer experience across e-commerce and brick and mortar locations for simplified, streamlined operations, including returns management, and also support planned growth to 1,700 stores.

FreshDirect has tapped longtime public employee Larry Scott Blackmon as the grocery delivery company’s VP, community and government affairs.  
 
In his new position, Blackmon will work to build and expand the company’s community partnerships — especially in New York City’s Bronx borough, where FreshDirect is relocating its office.
 

The revelation that IBM and Apple would be working together on a new range of mobile solutions is a huge development in its own right, but the landmark deal also promises to have a wide-ranging impact on the retail industry.

Michael Weiss, who started with Express when it was an eight-store operation, will retire as CEO of the 600 plus-store specialty apparel company when its fiscal year ends on January 30, 2015.

He will be succeeded by David Kornberg, 46, president, who will assume the added role of chief executive. Weiss, 73, will remain with Express as nonexecutive chairman of the board.

Dallas - Roman Kikta, managing partner and founder of Mobility Ventures, has joined Tantrum Street’s board of directors and will provide strategic guidance for the retail technology startup as it rolls out its Cartwheel Register mobile checkout app and Skip Wallet digital wallet app to the North American market.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has reportedly invested $103 million in its Indian operations with the goals of expanding its wholesale store count and increasing its online presence there. According to the Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart intends to increase wholesale store base in India from the current 20 to 70 in the next five years.

Melville, N.Y. – EconsumerServices, an online mediator between unsatisfied customers and e-commerce retailers, has signed JoTo PR as its public relations agency. JoTo PR will assist EConsumerServices in reaching its mass market of online consumers and making industry opinion leaders and government officials aware of the issue of fraud-related chargebacks.

New York – L’Oreal cosmetics brand Urban Decay has partnered with Compare Metrics to launch its online product discovery solution. The Compare Metrics solution for Urban Decay includes content curation, adaptive navigation and shopping scenarios.