OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Omaha, Neb. -- There is a heartwarming story playing out  at Kmart stores  throughout the Midwest: Anonymous donors are paying off strangers'  layaway accounts, buying the Christmas gifts, especially toys and children’s clothing, that the families might otherwise have a hard time paying, the Associated Press reported.

New York -- Tiffany & Co.  announced that Stephane Lafay has been appointed to the newly-created position of group VP - Asia-Pacific Region and President - Tiffany Japan. 

Lafay, 46, joined Tiffany in 2009 as president of Tiffany’s Japan organization. A search is underway for a managing director of Japan who will report to Lafay. 

Minneapolis -- Christopher & Banks Corp. said Wednesday it has named Joel N. Waller as president for a one-year term, effective immediately. He will report to Larry Barenbaum, CEO.

Waller, who is charged with revitalizing the business and putting the company back on track to profitability, was most recently a consultant to various retail companies, including AM Retail Group, Inc./Wilsons Leather. He served as CEO of Wet Seal from 2005 to 2008, and as chairman and CEO of Wilsons Leather before that.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Corp. said Wednesday that it has expanded its partnership with Vera Wang Group to launch Princess Vera Wang, a junior collection that will be sold exclusively by Kohl’s beginning August 2012.

The line will be available both in-store and online.

Washington, D.C. -- The Consumer Intentions and Actions survey released Wednesday by the National Retail Federation and conducted by BIGresearch found that, as of the second week in December, the average person has completed 46.5% of their holiday shopping.

Last year at this time, the average shopper had completed 49.5% of their shopping.

Pleasanton, Calif. -- Safeway Inc. said Wednesday it has appointed Al Duran to president of the company's Denver Division. He replaces Scott Grimmett, who is leaving Safeway for another opportunity.

Duran joined Safeway's Denver Division in 1979, and worked his way through the company's ranks including senior retail operations and marketing positions in the Safeway's Phoenix and Dominick's divisions. He joined Safeway's corporate team in 2009 as VP retail initiatives.

New York City -- The IBM Benchmark snapshot, released Wednesday, of online retail data showed growing strength in the category.

According to the data, online sales for the week of Dec. 5 were up 7.3% year over year. On Monday, Dec. 12, online sales were up 11.8% over the same day in 2010.

Redwood Shores, Calif. -- Cross-channel shopping is the new norm: Fifty-four percent of consumers regularly employ two or more channels before they make a purchase, according to a new study by Oracle.
 
The report, “Cross-Channel Commerce: The Consumer View,” reveals that consumers expect a consistent experience across all channels. Nearly 20% expect to redeem the same coupons and promotions in stores and online.