OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Mountain View, Calif. -- Best Buy tops a list of the most effective back-to-school advertisers, according to Ace Metrix, which provides television and video analytics. An ad promoting free kids’ haircuts at J.C. Penney also was a top perfomer.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Walmart will offer holders of its gift cards, credit cards and prepaid debit cards a discount on gasoline of up to 15 cents a gallon until Dec. 24, 2012.
 
The program will offer shoppers using a Walmart gift card a 10-cents-per-gallon discount. Those who use a Walmart MoneyCard or Walmart credit card will save 15 cents per gallon. The discounts will be available at more than 1,000 Murphy USA and Wal-Mart gas stations in 20 states.
   

New York -- Self-checkout technology continues to rise in importance at retailers in North America, according to a new study  by IHL Group.
 
The 2012 North American Kiosk Study finds that self-checkout shipments are increasing 8% year to year, with self-checkout transactions exceeding $255 billion annually in North America. Kooking Transactions are growing better than 7% per year in North America, and expected to grow past $1.0 trillion by 2014.
 

New York -- Barnes & Noble announced that it will enter into a partnership with British retailer John Lewis to offer its Nook electronic readers in the United Kingdom.

John Lewis is the first Nook partner for Barnes & Noble outside the United States.

“John Lewis is where knowledgeable customers turn for trusted advice on the best products to purchase, and they are a perfect partner to help launch Nook in the U.K.,” said Jamie Iannone, president of digital products at Barnes & Noble.
 

San Francisco -- Premier Retail Networks LLC and Digital Display Networks Inc., creator and operator of 7-Eleven TV, announced a multi-year agreement under which PRN will be the exclusive advertising representative for 7-Eleven® TV. The agreement is effective immediately.
 
Under the new agreement, PRN will offer brands the opportunity to reach 100 million viewers monthly on 7-Eleven TV, America's largest single chain digital out-of-home network installed in approximately 4,400 locations.
 

Dallas -- Alliance Data Systems Corp., a provider of loyalty and marketing solutions derived from transaction-rich data, announced its retail services business has signed a multi-year renewal agreement to continue managing the private-label credit card program for Samuels Jewelers, which operates 104 stores under several banners.

Indianapolis -- The Finish Line announced that Harvey Bierman has joined the company as VP digital technology.

Bierman comes to Finish Line after seven years with Demandware, where he most recently served as senior director, global strategic solutions.

“Harvey’s appointment is an important step toward driving long-term growth for Finish Line through aggressive expansion of our digital business,” said Chris Ladd, executive VP chief digital officer for Finish Line.
 

Dallas -- Retalix Ltd. and Delhaize Group have signed a multi-year global strategic partnership agreement, under which Retalix will become the preferred supplier of in-store software for Delhaize Group’s 3,300 locations, including more than 20,000 point-of-sale terminals, across Eurasia and the United States.