News

Deerfield, Ill. -- Jerry Stephens has joined collaborative supply chain planning technology provider Market6 as VP, responsible for Market6's business with Kroger and their suppliers. Stephens joins Market6 from Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (DPGS) where he led DPSG's Kroger account team since 2011 and oversaw all aspects of sales, business development and strategic account planning.

Seattle – Amazon.com is reportedly readying a mobile credit card reader for release in August. According to 9to5Mac, the reader would compete directly with similar devices offered by Square and PayPal, and likely connect directly to Amazon’s recently released digital wallet app.

HBC Department Store Group has deployed the Swirl in-store beacon marketing platform to deliver digital experiences to consumers' smartphones while they shop in the company's department stores in Canada and the U.S.

Using beacons installed in merchandising areas throughout its stores, Hudson's Bay and Lord & Taylor will automatically deliver branded content and personalized offers to in-store shoppers through an array of company-owned and third-party mobile apps.

Charlottesville, Va. - Smartphones generated 19% of paid search clicks and 9% of search spend in second quarter 2014, while tablets produced 18% of clicks and 19% of spend. According to the Q2 Digital Marketing Report from RKG, which surveyed retailers in its client base, cross-device tracking surfaces 7% more orders overall, but 14% more smartphone orders.

While smartphones produce 12% of traditionally tracked conversions, they contribute nearly 25% of cross-device orders.

Chesapeake, Va. - In a merger that will shake up the dollar store retail vertical, Dollar Tree is acquiring Family Dollar for $8.5 billion in cash and stock. The resulting company will operate more than 13,000 locations in the U.S. and Canada, with an annual sales volume of $18 billion.

The National Retail Federation (NRF), Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), Food Marketing Institute (FMI), Merchant Advisory Group, National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), National Grocers Association and National Restaurant Association (NRA) are jointly calling for an open and universal tokenization standard in the U.S. payments system.

The groups released a statement saying payment card data is currently vulnerable to theft where card information is swiped or entered, where card information is stored, and where it is transmitted.

New York - June 2014 showed levels of imports to the U.S. 6% higher than imports in June 2013. According to new data from Panjiva, the numbers of shipments coming into the U.S. also changed .03% from May 2014 to June 2014.

Although Panjiva analysis indicates imports are strong and the U.S. economy generally looks optimistic, a possible port workers strike brewing in California could disrupt 40% of the waterborne goods coming into the country. Situations in the Middle East and Ukraine may cause supply chain disruptions as well.

Tewskbury, Mass. – The unfolding saga at the Market Basket grocery chain continues to take unexpected twists and turns. According to the Boston Globe, the board of directors of Market Basket parent company Demoulas Super Markets has said it will consider a purchase offer from former CEO Arthur T. Demoulas, and the company also faces a lawsuit from several employees.