News

Lumber Liquidators spokesman Clint Roberts responded to sister publication HCN's requests for comment regarding the ongoing federal investigation into its sourcing practices. Multiple reports have suggested that the investigation is linked to the Environmental Investigation Agency, which claims the retailer is purchasing wood illegally in protected forests in Far East Russia.

Tractor Supply CEO Greg Sandfort outlined the company's online strategy, borrowing phrases from trendy multichannel retailers.

“We have to have our site geared to giving customers the options for any way they like to engage with us,” Sandfort said during the recent Goldman Sachs investor conference.

Walgreens has fine-tuned its management structure, most notably elevating Jim Jensen to VP daily living implementation and space planning, where he will be looking at maximizing merchandising initiatives against space optimization in the stores.

Moe Alkemade will assume the role of general merchandise manager handling seasonal, sundries and consumables. Beth Stiller has been named group VP retail brands and global sourcing.

All appointments are effective Nov. 4.

Ask 728 people whether shopping on a smartphone or tablet is more attractive than visiting a retail location and more than half will say that it is, according to the 2013 Mobile Commerce Study produced by Hipcricket, a Kirkland, Wa.-based provider of unified mobile engagement platforms.

Digital media company Specific Media and Nielsen have joined forces to offer a new platform called Retail Connect designed to address what the firms regard as a gap between offline and online advertising.

According to Specific Media, the Retail Connect platform will allow for more effective advertising for brands as well as consumers because it leverages Nielsen’s Buyer Insights aggregate data about in-store consumption habits and online behaviors to inform an optimized and efficient approach to online advertising.

Connect Address, a leading provider of cloud-based solutions for increasing online shopping cart conversions in real-time, has named Tom Flynn as the company's CEO.

"I am excited and pleased to be working with such a forward-thinking team and product," said Flynn. "Most companies in our space address shopping cart abandonment with basic retroactive tools. Connect Address delivers software and solutions to improve clients' social media presence, increase Web traffic and convert online shopping carts in real-time."

E-commerce facilitator Newgistics has opened three new distribution facilities in Kentucky, California and Illinois encompassing more than 600,000 square feet.

Sears Canada is getting ready to introduce the first-ever Black Friday sale in Canada to accompany Canadian Thanksgiving in October.

"Our customers already participate in our Black Friday sale in November so we wanted to give them one that, in a similar style to the U.S., would accompany our own Thanksgiving Holiday," said Doug Campbell, president and CEO, Sears Canada. "With the variety of sales being offered in stores and online they can pick up new home essentials or even get a head start on their Holiday shopping."

Retail design and brand strategy firm Interbrand Design Forum has added nine new associates as business continues to grow with key retail and manufacturing clients.
 
Allen McCormick has been named executive director, overseeing relationships with key client partners. Becky Lau was hired as senior consultant, strategy and analytics. Aaron Stancik is also new to the Strategy & Analytics group where he will serve as a senior consultant working on projects for Michael Hill and FedEx.

New York -- Luxury department store retailer Neiman Marcus Group plans to invest in a $100 million project designed to drive sales across all its retail channels: physical stores, mobile and online, the Dallas Business Journal reported.

The report, which cited a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, described the project as a multi-year initiative to develop a merchandising platform across all brands and channels.