OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

New York City -- A study released Wednesday by the International Council of Shopping Centers found that determining what office workers spend going to work, during the business day, and immediately after work prior to returning home can provide a better understanding of the opportunities that exist for retail, restaurant, and service establishments in proximity to office parks or buildings.

Among the survey highlights:

Chicago -- Fraud prevention and risk management provider Accertify said Thursday that Forever 21 will deploy its fraud prevention solution, customized to the retailer’s e-commerce business.

Forever 21 said it is growing its online presence internationally and turned to Accertify, an American Express company, to process and decrease risk in Forever 21’s online transactions.

Goodlettsville, Tenn. -- A former Safeway executive has joined Dollar General as its executive VP store operations.

Effective March 19, Greg Sparks will assume all responsibilities for the operations of more than 9,900 retail stores in 38 states and serve on Dollar General's real estate and store development committee, the company said. Sparks will report to chairman and CEO Rick Dreiling.

Sparks most recently served as president of Safeway's Seattle division. His departure from the supermarket retailer was announced earlier this week.

New York City -- A Tuesday report by Venture Beat said that Sephora is testing an iPad program in 20 stores during the month of March.

Sephora’s goal, according to the report, is to provide extra product details that could only be offered through the Internet, such as reviews and specific product information.

“We see a high overlap between Apple products and our consumers,” Julie Bornstein, senior VP for Sephora Direct, told VentureBeat.
 

Pleasanton, Calif. -- Safeway Inc. said Tuesday that Steve Frisby, president of its Portland division, will assume added responsibility for the company's Seattle division.

Frisby replaces Greg Sparks, who is leaving to pursue another business opportunity.

Atlanta -- Wren Solutions said Tuesday it has launched a retail audit software offering Encapsulon Assessment, as well as a new customer relationship with Big Y, a supermarket chain operating 61 stores in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Encapsulon Assessment enables loss prevention and store operations professionals to streamline and simplify the process of designing, conducting, and following up on audits.

Dallas -- Zale Corp. said Tuesday that it has named Jamie Singleton as senior VP and general manager of Piercing Pagoda, effective March 27.

Singleton is charged with overall responsibility for the company’s kiosk business and will report to Theo Killion, CEO.

Singleton most recently served as senior VP business expansion at CPI Corp.

Cincinnati -- Kroger announced Tuesday that it has named Suzanne Lindsay as its director of sustainability.

In the newly created position, Lindsay — who previously created and led sustainability initiatives at PetSmart — will lead Kroger's internal sustainability initiatives and will lead the company's sustainability leadership team.