OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

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.
Former Walmart exec to be new CEO at Mills Fleet Farm

The former chief merchandising and marketing officer at Walmart has joined a Midwestern chain of farm and home stores as its new CEO.

Mills Fleet Farm announced that former Walmart executive and Wisconsin native Duncan Mac Naughton will assume the role of CEO of the company now that it has been acquired by KKR, a global investment firm.
Ahold Delhaize petitions to add 'Royal' to its moniker post merger

Ahold on Monday announced that the King of the Netherlands has honored its request to use the predicate “Koninklijke” (“Royal”) after its intended merger with Delhaize Group.

Upon completion of the proposed merger, the statutory name of the combined company will be “Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V.”
Whole Foods is rolling out a food truck

Whole Foods Market is launching a new format that aims to cater to the downtown business crowd, only this time there's no bricks-and-mortar involved. The grocery chain is launching a food truck in Austin, Texas, in March, according to the Austin Business Journal. The retailer plans to offer sandwiches and salads at first and likely expand the menu eventually. [Austin Business Journal]
Instacart names former Amazon exec as operations head

Online delivery service provider Instacart has hired a veteran of a company known for extreme efficiency to take charge of its operations.

Mike Swartz, a retail veteran whose career notably includes a nine-year stint as director of operational excellence at Amazon.com from 1998-2007, is the new senior VP of operations for Instacart. Since Amazon, Swartz’ experience includes four years as senior VP of operations for specialty hair care e-commerce company Folica Inc. and four years as an independent consultant.