News

Staples highlights ink accomplishment
With Earth Day upon the retail industry all sorts of operators are touting accomplishments, including Staples where an impressive milestone demonstrates how a company can do well by doing good.

The company said it has collected more than 450 million ink and toner cartridges for recycling in the U.S. since 2005, averaging more than 60 million cartridges per year for the past four years. Through the cartridge recycling program, Staples has helped recover and recycle 234 million pounds of plastics and metals, diverting roughly the weight of 8,000 full garbage trucks from landfills.
Ace Hardware opens Ace Center for Excellence
Oak Brook, Ill. - Ace Hardware has launched the Ace Center for Excellence, a new division designed to share the retailer’s strategies and key principles of customer service.

The center’s goal is to help companies improve upon their customer experience based on Ace’s approach through customized solutions, such as keynotes and workshops.

Dick's CEO outlines omnichannel vision

Dick’s Sporting Goods plans to spend $850 million over the next three years to add as many as 150 stores while growing total sales to as much as $9 billion with e-commerce contributing more than $1 billion.
The Walking Company personalizes store experience with Epicor

Santa Barbara, Calif. - The Walking Company, has selected Epicor Retail solutions to support a more personalized in-store customer experience. The retailer has deployed Epicor Retail CRM 7.0 to support the launch of its new loyalty program, and Epicor Retail Clienteling to support improved store associate/customer engagement.

The Walking Company is also rolling out the Epicor Retail Store Point of Sale (POS) solution across its 210-plus store retail enterprise.
Innovative Tiles

Innovative Tiles: Ceramic tiles are no longer limited to 8x8 or 12x12 sizes; industry-leading innovator StonePeak designs tile in 48-inch sizes, all the up to 5 ft. x 10 ft., with potentially larger sizes to come. Meet Todd Ward with StonePeak High-Tech Porcelain, who discusses the company’s innovative tile offerings and uses in retail.
Scandinavian retailer Rema 1000 aligns pricing with promotions

Oslo, Norway - Scandinavian multinational supermarket chain Rema 1000 will be leveraging Revionics lifecycle pricing solutions in all product categories across all of its retail stores. Utilizing advanced science and predictive analytics, Rema 1000 will be able to strategically manage pricing and consistently align it with brand image, offer promotions that are compelling and profitable and more accurately forecast and measure key financial metrics.
Lowe's outlines 2015 sustainability initiatives

Lowe's outlined its progress in meeting its sustainability objectives in its 2014 Social Responsibility Report.
Government agency may sue PayPal for lending practices

San Jose, Calif. – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau may sue PayPal for practices of its PayPal Credit same-day loan provider unit. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), PayPal said the lawsuit could occur by June 2015.

The bureau has been investigating PayPal Credit, formerly known as Bill Me Later, since 2013. The investigation includes practices in areas such as online credit products, advertising, loan origination, customer acquisition, servicing, debt collection and complaints handling practices.
Tech Bytes: Three Reasons Consumer Behavior Lags Behind Technology Innovation

New technology innovations pop up in retail all the time. The Amazon Dash button made a splash on April Fools Day, and before the end of the month Apple Watch will offer consumers a whole new way to engage retailers.

Every time a new retail technology innovation rears its head, pundits proclaim that the whole consumer-retailer relationship will be instantly re-invented. And the relationship between consumers and retailers has changed dramatically since the introduction of e-commerce 20 years ago.
Sears selling more real estate than products

Sears Holdings will eventually need to sell more stuff to shoppers to remain viable as a retailer, but in the meantime the company has shown itself to be more adept at generating cash through complex real estate deals that unlock the value of an increasingly less productive store base.