OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

New York City -- Apple is closing its stores for several hours on Wednesday so employees can watch a webcast of a memorial service celebrating the life of Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, the Associated Press reported.

The service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at company headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. It will be webcast to employees worldwide.

The service reportedly will take place in the campus' outdoor amphitheater, according to Cook's email.

Baldwyn, Miss. -- Hancock Fabrics said Monday that its interim president and CEO Steven Morgan has been named the company’s permanent chief, and he will also continue to serve as a member of the company’s board of directors.

Morgan, formerly president of GameStop, was appointed as interim president and CEO of Hancock Fabrics in January 2011.
 

London -- A Monday report by Bloomberg said that U.K. online grocery sales are expected to nearly double in the next five years, as more shoppers use mobile phones and the internet to buy food.

According to a survey conducted by the Institute of Grocery Distribution and released by Bloomberg, online purchases will surge to $17.6 billion in 2016 from $9.2 billion this year.

Dallas -- Alliance Data Systems Corp. said Tuesday that it has extended its agreement with Express to continue providing Express with private-label credit card services including account acquisition and activation, receivables funding, card authorization, card issuance, statement generation, remittance processing, customer service functions, and multichannel marketing services.

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Location-based shopping app shopkick said Tuesday that it has forged a partnership with 228-unit Giant Eagle to implement mobile marketing technology called kickbuys at its grocery stores.

Kickbuys, according to shopkick, are the first-ever rewards for buying specific products or specific brands at supermarkets. Procter & Gamble, Kraft Foods and Unilever are the partner brands at launch.

Bensalem, Pa. -- Plus-size retailer Charming Shoppes said Tuesday that it expanded its online reach globally, allowing worldwide online access to fashion brands Lane Bryant, Cacique, Catherines, Fashion Bug and Loop 18, as well as the more than 300 brands offered at the company's new plus-size shopping hub, Sonsi.com.

Irving, Texas -- Michaels said Monday that it has launched MiDesign@Michaels, an online-based application that allows customers to create photo books, scrapbook pages, greeting cards and custom invitations at MiDesign.Michaels.com.

The website provides both free and premium content that can be used with customers' uploaded photos to create books, pages or cards. All MiDesign@Michaels users can have their projects professionally printed, bound and shipped to their homes or nearest Michaels store.
 

Washington, D.C. -- A Monday report by Reuters said that female employees, both current and former, of Ruth's Chris Steak House have sued the company, alleging gender discrimination.

The group is seeking class-action status, based on a ruling last week by U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein in Washington, D.C., that a smaller lawsuit alleging gender discrimination against the company could be amended to seek class action status.