OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Washington, D.C. -- A survey released Thursday by the National Retail Federation said that the number of people “definitely” shopping stores and websites on Black Friday as jumped to 33%, from 27% in 2010.

New York City -- A report released Thursday by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs said that 34% of consumers plan to shop on Black Friday, up from 31% in 2010 and 26% in 2009.

“In addition to buying gifts, consumers overwhelmingly indicated that they would be looking for bargains on Black Friday for themselves as well,” said Michael P. Niemira, chief economist and director of research for ICSC.

New York City -- PwC US, in its report Experience Radar 2011: Retail Insights, found that retailers that design differentiated ‘experiences’ around their products and services can drive growth, profitability and lasting consumer loyalty, while also maintaining a price premium over competitors.

The study, based on PwC’s Experience Radar methodology, measured the experiences of more than 6,000 U.S. consumers across 11 industries.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. announced that shoppers at more than 65 of its stores across the Bay Area can now use Google Wallet to pay with a single tap of your phone.

Google Wallet supports most Citi PayPass eligible MasterCard credit cards and the Google Prepaid Card.
 

Pittsburgh -- Giant Eagle announced that its Board of Directors has named Laura Shapira Karet to serve as the company's CEO, and John Lucot to serve as the company's president and COO, effective January 9, 2012.

Karet, 42, will succeed her father David Shapira, who will assume the position of executive chairman of Giant Eagle's Board of Directors.  Shapira has served the privately-held, family-owned company for 41 of its 80 year-history, and has been CEO since 1980.

Naperville, Ill. -- OfficeMax Inc. announced a strategic pilot with RadioShack Corp. whereby OfficeMax will pilot the RadioShack Mobile offering in the San Francisco market beginning in January 2012.

As part of this pilot program, RadioShack employees will offer mobile products and services, including prepaid and postpaid wireless products, accessories and service plans, as well as assist in selling OfficeMax consumer electronics products and services, in approximately 15-20 OfficeMax stores.

New York City -- Excitement over unexpected in-store deals has diminished as discounted prices become an anticipated part of the consumer products shopping experience, according to the Deloitte/Harrison Group annual American Pantry Survey.

New York City -- American Express announced Tuesday that it has launched Target prepaid cards featuring email and text alerts.

The cards, sold exclusively at Target stores, work like debit cards and can be reloaded with cash, and are usually marketed to lower-income consumers who don't have credit cards or checking accounts. Fees on cards can range widely depending on the issuer.