OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Three Pieces of External Data Impacting Retailers’ Bottom Lines
REI makes bold Black Friday decision second year in a row
While many retailers still struggle with how to leverage the Black Friday sales frenzy, REI has other plans in mind. For the second year, REI will remain closed on both Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. “Instead of feeding the Black Friday frenzy, we're closing our 149 stores and giving our 12,287 employees a paid day off,” REI’s website reported.

QuickChek innovates again with Tesla partnership

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Best Buy to provide Wi-Fi support

Best Buy wants to help its customers stay connected — for a price. The consumer electronics chain’s Geek Squad is taking on local Internet service providers by launching a new service, called Wi-Fi Setup & Support, that offers comprehensive, personalized home Wi-Fi setup either over the phone, Web or in the customer’s home.
Take a peak inside Amazon’s Drone lab in the United Kingdom

Amazon gave some very special visitors a tour of its top secret drone testing laboratory in Cambridge, England.
Ascena Retail restructures; some execs to leave

Ascena Retail Group, whose brands include Ann Taylor, Justice, and Lane Bryant, announced organizational changes expected to provide cost-savings of $100 million to $150 million by fiscal 2019. The changes will see a number of executives leave the company, although Ascena did not disclose who would be leave. Also, Brian Lynch, CEO and president of Justice, has been appointed company COO.
Gordon Brothers in global repositioning

Gordon Brothers Group has a new name. The 113 year-old, global advisory, restructuring, and investment firm said that all of its operating units will now be marketing under one name: Gordon Brothers.
More retailers close their doors on Thanksgiving

In line with Staples, more retailers are choosing to turkey over Thanksgiving Day sales. Retailers across a variety of categories — from club stores and discount chains to department stores — are letting “their employees enjoy the holiday with their families instead of staffing the cash registers” on Thanksgiving, according to a story in the Sun Herald.
Amazon working on new delivery technology?

Amazon is always exploring new and more efficient ways to get its goods to customers. In what could be its latest move, the Internet giant might be working with a company developing technology that would allow delivery people temporary access when they’re making deliveries, according to a report by techcrunch.com. For more, click here.
Webinar: How to increase sales—even with lower store traffic

It’s not just how much traffic a store gets. It’s what the store does with the traffic that matters. Chain Store Age will present a webinar on how retailers can increase sales even when challenged with lower store traffic. Store traffic analytics expert Mark Ryski will draw on real-world, data-rich examples as he provides critical information on how retailers can drive significantly better retail performance for the holiday season and beyond—despite persistent ‘traffic trouble’.