OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Founder of American Apparel plans new venture
Dov Charney, the founder and ousted CEO of American Apparel, is scouting sites for a factory in South Central Los Angeles as he plots his comeback, Bloomberg reported.

Charney’s new venture reportedly will sell USA-made basics, starting off as a wholesale business and then expanding into a consumer online brand.

“I have a vision,” Charney told Bloomberg. “My business model works.”
Christopher & Banks board member withdraws name
For about three hours the morning of April 4 it looked like Christopher & Banks had found itself a new board member, but then the company discovered a conflict that prevented the high level executive from accepting the nomination.

Going-out-of-business sales begin at Hancock

Hancock Fabrics is set to begin liquidation aftera U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware approved the sale of the chain to Great American Group on Thursday.

Great American Group says going-out-of-business sales for 185 Hancock Fabrics stores have already begun.
New leadership summit focused on CPG solutions

Top merchants from Walmart, CVS Health and Family Dollar are among a group of consumer packaged goods leaders gathering in Chicago soon for a first-of-its-kind event focused on one of the industry’s most daunting challenges.

On May 24, Chain Store Age sister publication Drug Store News and Mack Elevation Forum will host The Future Leaders Summit. The one-day event will feature seven high-impact leaders who will share their ideas and philosophies on attracting talent and leading in a hyper-competitive world.
Staples and Office Depot take another shot at FTC

The CEOs of Staples and Office Depot penned a letter to customers which reveals the extent of their deteriorated relations with the Federal Trade Commission ahead of a hearing that begins March 21 that will determine whether the retailers are allowed to merge.

In the letter, Staples chairman and CEO Ron Sargent and Office Depot chairman and CEO Roland Smith stop short of actually calling the FTC stupid, but that is the inference from more diplomatically worded prose.
Target CIO offers on-the-job insights

Mike McNamara, CIO of Target Corp., recently spoke on the role of today’s CIO at the Forbes CIO Summit.

McNamara has been serving as CIO of Target of eight months, having come from international grocery retailer Tesco. He shared insights such as how the rapid adoption of smartphones has been a game-changer for both consumers and corporate IT teams, the ongoing shift underway from legacy software and mainframe systems to cloud and open-source technologies, and the need to build a team of curious, analytical problem-solvers.
Charming Charlie continues global expansion

Charming Charlie is expanding its Middle East footprint.

The specialty retailer has opened its first location in Qatar, at the Ezdan Mall in Doha. The 2,900-sq.-ft. store is operated by Apparel Group, Charming Charlie’s international licensing partner, which has further growth planned for the brand in the Middle East this year.
Report: Albertsons acquiring remaining Haggen stores

Citing union sources, The Bellingham Herald on Tuesday reported that Albertsons is prepared to acquire the remaining core stores of Haggen with the blessing of the Federal Trade Commission. "It appears that other bidders are not going to raise their bids or otherwise make them qualified bids, so the scheduled auction is cancelled and the sale to Albertsons will be put before the court for approval in the next week," representatives of Haggen union workers released in a statement.
Staples offers FTC justification for Office Depot acquisition

Another set of weak quarterly results from Staples and another round of store closures could give the Federal Trade Commission more evidence to support Staples long-running effort to acquire Office Depot.
Report: Walgreens Boots Alliance exploring retail pharmacy options in Australia

Walgreens Boots Alliance is exploring the possibility behind opening a retail pharmacy stake in Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald reported Friday. Though current government restrictions prevent corporate-owned pharmacies from setting up shop, that could change as "the government has commissioned an independent review of pharmacy regulations, which is due to report in March 2017," the paper reported.