OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Lumber Liquidators CEO quits unexpectedly
New York – Robert Lynch, CEO of embattled Lumber Liquidators Holdings, has unexpectedly resigned as the Justice Department seeks to file criminal charges for the company’s allegedly selling Chinese hardwood laminate products that had illegal levels of formaldehyde. In a brief statement, Lumber Liquidators gave no reason for Lynch’s departure.
Dollar Tree to sell 330 Family Dollar stores; misses on Q1 results
Chesapeake, Va. – Dollar Tree Inc. plans to sell about 330 Family Dollar stores to obtain Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approval of its pending $8.5 billion acquisition of Family Dollar Stores.

The company has not identified the buyer, the sale amount or which stores will be closed. The 330 Family Dollar stores represent about $45.5 million in operating income, according to Dollar Tree. Dollar Tree expects the Family Dollar purchase to go through in July 2015.

Temkin study: Hannaford, Publix easiest companies to work with

Waban, Mass. -- Supermarket companies Hannaford and Publix took the top spots in the 2015 Temkin Effort Ratings, which rates how easy or difficult companies are to work with. The ratings examine 293 companies across 20 industries.
Survey: Medical cost inflation, financial issues greatest risk concerns for retail industry

Hartford, Conn. -- Cyber risks, medical cost inflation, and legal liability are among the top concerns for American businesses of all sizes, according to results from the second annual Travelers Business Risk Index. The survey polled more than 1,200 business decision makers across the country to better understand what they believe poses the biggest threat to their businesses.
Ikea to double size of Midwest distribution center in Illinois

Conshohocken, Pa. -- Ikea has submitted plans to the city of Joliet, IL for a second distribution center – to accompany the center previously announced and planned to open in summer 2017.

In February 2015, Ikea advanced the development of its previously approved 1.4-million-sq.-ft. Midwest distribution center on 72 acres of land already purchased in Joliet/ The company is now proposing another, similarly sized facility on 62 acres it hopes to purchase adjacent to the west of the currently planned first building.
Walmart extends veteran hiring

Bentonville, Ark. -- Walmart announced the next step in its Veterans Welcome Home Commitment by guaranteeing a job offer to any eligible U.S. veteran honorably discharged from active duty since the commitment’s original launch on Memorial Day 2013.

The previous commitment was for veterans within 12 months off active duty. In addition to the Veterans Welcome Home Commitment, Walmart is expanding its 2013 projection of hiring 100,000 veterans by 2018, increasing the projection to 250,000 veterans by the end of 2020.
Wal-Mart, eBay support GS1 product info standard

Lawrenceville, N.J. – A new GS1 US standard offers a common approach for listing and classifying products across all e-commerce platforms. Developed in collaboration with 18 companies, including Best Buy, Bing, CNET, eBay, Google, and Wal-Mart, the GS1 US Simple Product Listing helps ensure that products are accurately represented across all sales channels and are more easily discoverable by search engines and consumers.
Nordstrom enables shopping by text

Seattle - Nordstrom Inc. is launching a text-based shopping service called TextStyle at all 116 U.S. stores. Customers can now make curated purchases from their salesperson or personal stylist using text messaging.

In 2014, the retailer launched Next, an opt-in, secure one-to-one service that lets Nordstrom customers communicate with their salesperson using their smartphone. TextStyle leverages the security, privacy and capabilities built into the Nordstrom Next texting service.
Krispy Kreme plans Africa entry with 31 new stores in South Africa

Winston-Salem, N.C. - Krispy Kreme (will open 31 stores in South Africa during the next five years. The coffee retailer has signed a development agreement with KK Doughnuts SA (Pty) Ltd, that will mark its first venture into Africa.

Krispy Kreme has more than 1,000 stores in 24 countries.
Target will roll out RFID

Minneapolis – Target Corp. plans to roll out RFID-enabled “smart labels” later this year to aid inventory accuracy and improve in-store stock levels. In a corporate blog post, Keri Jones, executive VP, global supply chain and operations of Target, said the retailer is working with “key vendors” on a “fast paced timeline” to deploy RFID.