News

The Pep Boys are remaining cautiously optimistic that there will be an increase in demand for tires this year, following a comparable store sales decrease of 1.3% for the second quarter ended Aug. 3. 

Sales for the quarter increased 0.4% to $527.6 million from $525.7 million for the prior-year quarter. The company’s operating profit for the quarter, adjusted to exclude merger-related costs, was $19.4 million as compared to $15.5 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2012. 

Pittsburgh – Cabela’s Inc. has seen improvement in throughput and saved on operating costs since implementing the use of Seegrid’s unmanned robotic pallet trucks at its Wheeling, W.Va., distribution center in July 2010. The retailer has used Seegrid robots to reduce manned long haul transports, handle a high variety of product flow and provide flexibility to change routes.

Westfield San Francisco Centre has embraced the National Day Golden Week holiday that runs from Oct. 1- Oct. 7 every year — in China.

During Golden Week, more than 120 million residents of the People’s Republic of China travel to visit family and friends in the People’s Republic and overseas. Large numbers visit San Francisco, home of the largest Chinatown outside of Asia.

Walmart has announced plans to launch a smartphone trade-in program on the same day Apple announced the iPhone 5s, featuring an all-new A7 chip and a 64-bit desktop-class architecture for fast performance, as well as the iPhone 5c, which builds on the iPhone 5 and comes in five different colors. 

Houston – Charming Charlie is establishing a “single version of the truth” across multiple business units, including merchandising, store operations, planning and finance, using the ARC Merchandise Analytics solution from Manthan Systems. The solution is designed to deliver real-time merchandise and performance insights across the retail enterprise.

Abercrombie & Fitch has extended its contract with GT Nexus to expand its cloud supply chain strategy and improve visibility into the movement of orders, payments and goods. 

Since 2010, the company has used the GT Nexus platform to support international sourcing and supplier collaboration.

Abercrombie & Fitch operates 1,053 apparel stores in 20 countries across four unique lifestyle brands: Abercrombie & Fitch, Abercrombie Kids, Hollister Co. and Gilly Hicks. The retailer operates distinct e-commerce sites for each of the four brands. 

Los Angeles -- Grocery chain Fresh & Easy confirmed reports that its British parent Tesco LLC has sold the brand to private equity firm The Yucaipa Cos., following months of uncertainty about the 200+-unit chain’s future.

Fresh & Easy posted on its website Tuesday that more than 4,000 jobs would be saved under the purchase agreement but that some stores will be closing. Specific stores have not been identified, and the terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed.

NEW YORK — Stuart Weitzman has named vice chairman Wayne Kulkin as the company’s CEO. Kulkin will continue to report to Stuart Weitzman, executive chairman.

As CEO, Kulkin will focus on strategic global expansion and other growth opportunities for the Stuart Weitzman brand. In addition, Kulkin will assist with the selection of an executive team to support the brand's growth initiatives and develop a strategic roadmap for the future of the brand.