OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Imports rising as West Coast ports recover
Washington, D.C. -- Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to rise 8% this month over the same time last year as West Coast ports continue to recover from a backlog of cargo that built up before a tentative new labor agreement was signed, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released Wednesday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.  
NRF announces creation of Retail Research and Analysis Center
Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation announced a multimillion-dollar investment to form a new department within the organization focusing on industry research. The new Retail Research and Analysis Center will bring together all existing research within NRF and expand upon the wide range of issue areas and trends already studied.

The Center will focus on four main areas: the economy, legislative and regulatory policy, the retail industry and consumers.

Deckers names New Balance exec as new Teva president

Goleta, Calif. – Deckers Brands has appointed Wendy Yang as Teva brand president, effective May 1. In this role, Yang will design and lead Teva's global brand strategy and report directly to Dave Powers, president of Deckers Brands.
Study: Two-day shipping bigger Amazon Prime driver than video

Boston - Americans are more likely to subscribe to Amazon Prime for free two- day shipping than for Prime Instant Video, and in the U.S. when they do subscribe, are more likely to use Netflix than Prime Instant Video. According to a new study from global intelligence firm Strategy Analytics, nearly two-thirds (63%) of Amazon Prime subscribers used Netflix in the previous month compared to 59% who used Prime Instant Video.
Kroger taps Marlene Stewart as president of Dillons

Cincinnati -- The Kroger Co. announced that Marlene Stewart has been promoted to president of the company's Dillons division. She replaces Joe Grieshaber, who was recently named president of Kroger's Columbus division.

Stewart, 59, currently serves as VP of merchandising at QFC, based in Seattle.
Linda Chadwick named president, CEO of Dressage Group North America

Boston - Dessange International, owner of Fantastic Sams, Camille Albane and Dessange franchise brands, has promoted Linda Chadwick to president and CEO of Dessange Group North America. Chadwick had previously been the president and COO of Fantastic Sams.

Chadwick will lead Dessange International’s North American expansion of its three salon franchise brands. A veteran franchising executive, Chadwick spent more than 20 years at Burger King Corp., including three years as VP of franchise operations.
Starbucks expands college tuition benefit to cover full degree

Seattle -- Starbucks Corp. is extending its college tuition assistance plan for workers to cover the entire cost of getting an online bachelor's degree. The coffee giant launched the program with Arizona State University in June 2014. At the time, it was limited to juniors and seniors looking to complete their degrees. But in a major expansion of the benefit, Starbucks said it will now cover the full cost of the four-year online degree.
Report: FMI asks for delay in EMV rollout

Arlington, Va. – The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) is reportedly asking major credit card companies to delay the October 2015 mandate for U.S. retailers to comply with the Europay, Mastercard Visa (EMV) chip-based payment card standard. According to the Wall Street Journal, the FMI sent a letter to Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover Financial Services asking for the deadline to be moved into 2016.
Google Wallet 9.0 offers improved transaction search

Mountain View, Calif. – Google has released version 9.0 of the Google Wallet electronic payment app, skipping version 8.0 but only adding a couple of new features. The most significant new feature is a transaction search bar that lets users find past transactions via keyword.

In addition, a maps widget lets users track stores where they make purchases and locate them on a map. Among other benefits, this feature lets consumers quickly identify purchases made in stores and areas they have not visited.
Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy to open its 30th store

Boulder, Colo. -- Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy will open its 30th store, in Los Altos, California, on May 2.

Part of the company’s aggressive strategy to expand throughout the Western region, the new store is its third location to open in 2015 and follows three store openings in 2014. Pharmaca has plans to open an additional location in Colorado mid- to late 2015.