OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Carlisle, Pa. -- Giant Food Stores and Martin’s Food Markets said they will begin paying all non-union workers a minimum of $9 a hour beginning in June.

The operator of 200 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia said the move was part of the company’s commitment to provide competitive wages.

"Our associates are the foundation of our success, and we have always believed in paying competitive wages to attract the best talent," said Tom Lenkevich, Giant/Martin’s president.

Seattle - Specialty vertical apparel retailer Tommy Bahama promotes relaxation with its brand image, but is not taking it easy when it comes to loss prevention (LP). Tommy Bahama has selected March Networks' comprehensive retail solution to gain faster, more robust LP capabilities, improve recovery and apprehension rates with higher-quality video evidence, and better safeguard customers and employees at 130 stores worldwide.

St. Louis – Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. has named Chris Hurt as COO. Hurt has more than 20 years of retail experience in senior leadership roles and most recently held the position of senior VP of North America at American Eagle Outfitters Inc.

Hurt will lead the Build-A-Bear Workshop retail and operations teams to drive sales and profits, while promoting ongoing growth for the business. He will oversee all business operations, including the corporate strategy and structure for stores. He will report to Sharon Price John, CEO.

Beijing, China – Chinese direct sales company JD.com Inc. is launching JD Worldwide, its new cross-border e-commerce platform that directly challenges Alibaba. JD Worldwide provides Chinese consumers with authentic imported products.

In a coup over Alibaba, JD.com is also launching of "Best of EBay Deals," a pilot program on the new platform in partnership with EBay. EBay’s channel on JD Worldwide will showcase a variety of merchandise from select EBay sellers in the U.S.

Louisville, Ky. - Long John Silver's has named Brian Unger as COO. He joins the organization with more than 30 years of experience in the food service industry.

Unger's restaurant operations experience began as a manager trainee at McDonald's, where he moved on to promotions and international leadership positions in the Caribbean and Latin America. He achieved the positions of senior VP of McDonald's USA and VP of McDonald's Restaurants of Canada.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation (NRF) is publicly supporting the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s consideration of the Data Security and Breach Notification Act. In a public statement, Mallory Duncan, senior VP and general counsel NRF, said strong tools are needed to combat criminal breaches.

Livonia, Mich. -- Pet Supplies Plus, the nation’s largest pet retail franchise with more than 300 locations in 25 states, announced it has signed six new franchise agreements to bring its neighborhood pet store concept to Boca Raton, Florida; Tampa, Florida; Stephenville, Texas; Elizabethtown, Kentucky; Hartland, Michigan and Greenville, South Carolina.
 

Orlando, Fla. - Olive Garden has entered into an agreement with Ziosk to begin the introduction of tabletop tablets in all of its restaurants nationwide. Olive Garden has been testing Ziosk in a select number of its restaurants since 2014, and the feedback from guests and servers has been positive.