News

Shelton, Conn. – Nxt-ID Inc. intends to launch a smart wallet called Wocket. A biometrically secure smart wallet with a smart card that is immediately zeroized after each transaction, Wocket is designed to be useless to a thief.

Los Angeles – An electronic musician reportedly planted 5,000 copies of his own CD inside fake copies of the Justin Bieber “Believe” CD in retailers including Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart on April 1. According to the Associated Press, the musician, Paz Dylan, said he saw the stunt as more of a performance art piece than an April Fools’ Day prank.

Cincinnati – The Kroger Co. is collaborating with EInfochips and Wincor-Nixdorf to introduce a new enterprise IT architecture called Retail Site Intelligence (RSI). This store uses ZigBee wireless mesh networks to integrate long battery life sensors, handheld devices, point-of-sale devices and video management software into a next-generation platform for retail applications such as loss prevention, store automation and analytics.

New York -- Discount supermarket operator Aldi has acquired a 55-acre site in Moreno Valley, Calif., on which it will build its Southern California regional headquarters. The planned 800,000-sq.-ft. facility would serve as Aldi’s West Coast regional office and distribution center as it looks to expand into the Southern California market.

In December, Aldi announced plans to open 650 stores in the United States during the next five years.

After a strong start to the holiday season, harsh weather took a toll on Jos. A. Bank which reported solid profit growth and a 1.8% same store sales increase during what is likely to be one of the company’s final earnings reports as a public company.

By Mike Rozembajgier, VP, Stericycle

Hazardous waste management for retailers and retail pharmacies has entered a critical new phase that may change the rules governing what is considered waste and how to properly dispose of it.

Talk of nearshoring and a resurgent U.S. manufacturing sector weren’t enough to help the Stanley Furniture Company avoid shuttering a domestic manufacturing plant that employs 400 people.

Following steep losses last year, Stanley said it would close its 562,000-sq.-ft. facility in Robbinsville, NC., where ironically enough the company’s Young America line of Juvenile furniture was manufactured.

Paris -- Shopmium, the new brand discovery app, has officially launched in the U.S. on both iOS and Android platforms. Shopmium’s model enables advertisers to promote products through a targeted media approach that delivers mobile brand experiences and discount offers to users.