News

The National Retail Federation and a coalition representing retailers, manufacturers, truckers, transportation intermediaries and other business groups have asked the Federal Maritime Commission to set new policy preventing terminal operators and ocean carriers from charging unfair fees when uncontrollable incidents such as storms and strikes keep cargo from being picked up from ports on time.  

Starbucks Corp. unveiled an ambitious five-year strategy that calls for major expansion, includes two new store formats, including freestanding bakeries.      The coffee giant said it plans to plans to open approximately 12,000 new stores globally by 2021, including 5,000 cafes in China. The new round of expansion would bring Starbucks’s total store portfolio to approximately 37,000 locations.   

Beliefs that online shopping has replaced brick-and-mortar shopping are exaggerated, especially when it comes cosmetic and grooming purchases, according to a new The Harris Poll.  

The Kroger Co. has tapped a tech veteran as its next chief digital officer.   The supermarket giant announced that 15-year-veteran Kevin Dougherty, 63, group VP and chief digital officer, will retire on Jan. 27, 2017. He will be succeeded by Yael Cosset, 43, chief commercial officer and chief information officer of 84.51.     

Digital disruptors continue to change the pace of retail — and Neiman Marcus is ready.   Like many retailers, the luxury department store chain continues to introduce more mobile technology at store-level, a move that supports both in-store operations and consumer-driven tasks, from browsing through procurement.    “It is a trend that requires our network to be a mission-critical lifeline at every store,” said Scott Emmons, head of the Neiman Marcus Innovation Lab (iLab). 

On Monday, Amazon announced the launch of Amazon Go, a checkout-free convenience store in Seattle. The 1,800-sq.-ft. store is powered by what Amazon calls “just walkout technology,” which combines computer vision, sensor fusion and deep learning technologies. Currently open only to Amazon employees, Amazon Go expected to open to the public in 2017.  

A few years ago, there was considerable buzz in the retail industry about the enormous potential of mobile point of sale (mPOS) and its ability to transform the in-store customer experience. With online competitors driving new consumer expectations and shopping behavior, this was seen as a key strategy in blunting the competition and giving brick and mortar merchants an upper hand.   

The Home Depot Mexico is one step closer to delivering on its promise "to provide the highest level of service, the broadest selection of products and the most competitive prices.”  

While some retailers struggle with mobile’s limited “real estate,” Wayfair sees it as a window of “shopping” opportunity.   The home décor pure play launched View in Room, a new feature within its mobile app that lets shoppers see furniture and décor in their homes before they buy. The new feature places two-dimensional (2-D) product images in any room through the camera of iOS and Android mobile devices.  

In a move that is likely to help it attract new talent — and hold on to existing employees — Ikea U.S. has announced one of the most generous and inclusive parental leave programs in the U.S. retail industry.    Effective Jan. 1, Ikea will provide all its 13,000 U.S. salaried and hourly employees who are expanding their families — including mothers, fathers and adoptive and foster parents — with up to four months of paid parental leave.