OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Target takes stand on transgender bathroom issue
Target Corp. weighed in on the national debate about which bathrooms transgender people can use, staking a position that is sure to elicit as much praise as it does criticism.

In a blog post on its company website Tuesday, the discounter said transgender employees and customers can use the restroom or fitting room facility that "corresponds with their gender identity."
Report: Target to increase minimum wage — again
Target Corp is raising its minimum wage to $10 an hour, Reuters reported.

The reported increase comes amid an increasingly competitive job market and widespread calls by activists and labor groups for retail and restaurant chains to offer higher wages.

On-call scheduling comes under scrutiny in eight more states

A controversial labor practice employed by some retailers is coming under increased scrutiny by U.S. regulators.
Retailer suit targets EMV mandate

It was probably inevitable that somebody at some point would challenge the legality of the Oct. 1, 2015 EMV (Europay, Mastercard and Visa) liability shift.
Best Buy’s Geek Squad gets new green wheels

Best Buy is ditching the signature Volkswagen Beetle it has used to transport its tech support arm, the Geek Squad, over the past 14 years in favor of Toyota’s Prius c hybrid cars.

In addition to saving money on gasoline, switching to the hybrid gasoline-electric vehicle will produce about half the emissions of the previous Geekmobile over the life of the vehicle, in line with Best Buy’s commitment to reduce its own carbon emissions by 45% by 2020.
Survey: Most consumers have chip-enabled cards; retailer acceptance lags way behind

Most U.S. consumers now carry a smart credit card, but they haven’t had all that much opportunity to stop swiping and start dipping their cards into upgraded terminals.

That’s according to a survey of 932 U.S. credit card-holders by CreditCards.com, which found that 70% of respondents carry at least one chip-based card. This is up from only 14% in a survey conducted by the same company in September 2015, before the October 1 deadline that shifted liability for some fraud shifted from card issuers to merchants that can't accept the new cards.
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.