OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Strong dollar crushes Tiffany
Millions of people worldwide will be surprised and delighted to receive a little blue box this holiday season, but a strong U.S.
Decathlon gets to source of supply chain efficiency
Global sporting goods retailer Decathlon, which operates 850 stores in 22 countries, is improving inventory visibility and shelf accuracy.

Decathlon will roll out radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions from Checkpoint Systems in more than 400 stores globally and further extend its existing RFID source-tagging program for millions of products in all its stores around the world.

Walmart names new senior VP, president health and wellness

Walmart on Friday named George Riedl as senior VP, president Walmart health and wellness, reporting to Michelle Gloeckler, Walmart executive VP consumables and health and wellness.

Riedl starts Dec. 14.
More c-suite changes for Francesca's

Francesca's has lost its chief financial adviser just weeks after naming a new head merchant and a new senior marketing executive.

The Texas-based company announced that CFO Mark Vendetti has resigned from the company effective Dec. 4. Cindy Thomassee, Francesca's current VP of accounting, has been appointed to the role of interim CFO and will report directly to CEO Michael W. Barnes while the company conducts a search for a CFO.
eBay Enterprise: Don’t fall for online fraud myths

Digital gift cards are less risky than retailers think, and that’s not the only common piece of online fraud “wisdom” that is false.

The Technology Fraud Lab at eBay Enterprise has released a list of five online fraud myths. These include:

• Myth #1: Digital gift cards are too risky to sell.
Sports Authority vet leaves for Ollie's Bargain Outlet

Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings Inc. is looking to a Sports Authority executive to fill the newly created position of senior VP of finance and chief accounting officer.

The company has named Jay Stasz to the position, which will report to John Swygert, Ollie's executive VP and CFO.
Update on EMV migration

EMV adoption by consumers is on the rise, even as merchants are struggling to catch up.

Those are among the key findings of a survey by Ingenico Group, which found that 60% of U.S. cardholders have received EMV cards from their banks/card issuers.

Out of the U.S. cardholders who have both EMV and magstripe cards, 54% prefer magstripe cards over EMV cards, with 44% attributing their preference to habit.

For more, click on the infographic below:
JPMorgan Chase exec joins Nordstrom board

Nordstrom is adding some financial expertise to its board with its latest appointment.

The Seattle-based retailer has appointed Gordon Smith, CEO of Consumer and Community Banking at JPMorgan Chase, to the company's board of directors. The addition of Smith brings the total number of directors to 15 and the number of independent directors to 12. Nordstrom directors serve one-year terms and the company requires annual elections of all Board members. Smith will join the Compensation and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committees.
Kohl's names Walgreens exec as COO; hints she could become CEO

Kohl’s has named Walgreens' former digital and chief marketing officer to the newly created role of COO and indicated she could eventually replace Kevin Mansell as CEO.

Kohl’s named Sona Chawla to the newly created position of COO, which might as well stand for chief omnichannel officer given her range of responsibilities and most recent experience at Walgreens. She will report directly to Kohl’s chairman, president and CEO Kevin Mansell.
KronosWorks: Improving employee scheduling top retail priority

When it comes to workforce management, retailers are focusing on optimizing scheduling.

The need for automated and even employee-driven scheduling was a coherent theme in presentations and interviews given by several retailers during the KronosWorks 2015 conference in Las Vegas. In an address during the opening keynote session, Mike Zorn, senior VP of associate and labor relations at Macy’s Inc., discussed the importance of scheduling to employee morale.