OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Seattle -- A report by Bloomberg said that Nordstrom Inc. will introduce an ongoing free shipping program for all purchases made at its department stores starting next week.

The program was unveiled just months after Nordstrom introduced standard free shipping and returns on its online orders. It was the first department store chain to do so.

Atlanta -- Robert Nardelli, former Home Depot and Chrysler CEO, said Friday he is stepping down from his current post as CEO of firearms maker Freedom Group.

Nardelli held the Freedom Group post for just two months before deciding to depart.

He said in a statement Friday that it was a good time for him to focus on his investment and consulting company, XLR-8 LLC.

Freedom Group said it expects to name a permanent successor for Nardelli soon.

New York -- McDonald’s, Whole Foods Market and Best Buy are among the retailers participating in a new American Express program that allows shoppers to load discounts onto their American Express cards via Twitter.

Dallas -- Neiman Marcus is testing a new iPhone-only app that allows customers to interact more directly with sales associates. The new app, called NM Service, is being tested in four stores this spring – Dallas;San Francisco; Austin, Texas; and Palo Alto, Calif.

Developed by Signature, NM Service has two interfaces: one for customers and one for sales associates. Each is designed to provide a more personal, mobile shopping experience for the Neiman Marcus customer.

New York -- Washington state opened a public auction online Thursday of its state-run liquor stores, beginning the process of privatizing an industry the state has tightly controlled since the end of Prohibition, the Associated Press reported.

The minimum bid is $1,000, and within hours, more than 30 bidders had entered the fray, the report said. Some were looking to buy rights to all of the stores, while the majority bid on individual store locations.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens on Tuesday announced the availability of an exclusive new offering for customers that check in at any Walgreens store nationwide through Foursquare.

The drugstore chain said customers that check in via Foursquare instantly will receive a unique scannable coupon via their smartphone, which is redeemable in the store and does not require texting, reply or other steps.


New York City -- A Tuesday report by Mobile Commerce Daily said that Victoria’s Secret is furthering its m-commerce initiative by running mobile commerce-enabled ads that allow consumers to shop directly from their handsets no matter where they are.

The ads are running within Us Weekly’s mobile site.

Two different ads encourage consumers to tap on the ad to be redirected to the company’s landing page, where they can shop the advertised promotions.

New York City -- Modell’s Sporting Goods said Tuesday it will celebrate the grand opening of three new locations in Brooklyn, N.Y., Fresh Meadows, N.Y., and Wayne, N.J., on March 8.

The Fresh Meadows store measures 13,000 sq. ft., the Wayne store is 16,700 sq. ft., and the Brooklyn store is 15,900 sq. ft.