OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Arlington, Va. -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and a group of merchant associations have sent a letter on the state of cybersecurity in the U.S. and how the payments system works in a letter to the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) and the National Association of Federal Credit Unions (NAFCU). The letter dispels what the merchant groups say are many misconceptions the credit unions have been driving regarding recent cyberattacks and the response by retailers and financial institutions. 

Seattle -– Starbucks Corp. is planning to launch a coffee delivery service in select U.S cities in 2015, the company said during its quarterly investors’ conference call on Oct. 30. The new service will be available to loyalty program members using the chain’s new mobile app.    Starbucks gave few specific details about the service, but the new app, allowing users to order and pay for items, will launch in Portland in December and in other U.S. markets in 2015. 

Salisbury, N.C. -- Meg Ham has been named president of Food Lion effective Nov. 1. She succeeds Beth Newlands Campbell, who is leaving the company for personal and professional reasons.     Ham will lead all Food Lion banner operations, including strategic direction, financial performance, product assortment, pricing, customer service and marketing. She will continue to report to Delhaize America CEO Kevin Holt.    

Indianapolis –- Consumer electronics retailer Hhgregg Inc. swung from profit to loss in a generally difficult second quarter of fiscal 2014. Hhgregg reported a net loss of $10.38 million, compared to net income of $3.68 million in the same quarter the prior fiscal year. Net sales dropped 11% to $505.86 million from $568.31 million. Same-store sales declined 11.4%. Growing expenses and declining gross profit helped push the chain into the red.

Petaluma, Calif. -– Revenue coming from smartphones grew 141% year-over-year during the third quarter of fiscal 2014. According to a study from e-commerce platform provider Market Live, cultural shifts in shopping habits are revealing changes in traditional metrics; for example, mobile is creating a trend toward lower conversion rates and shorter time-on-site metrics caused by more shoppers researching products on their mobile phones and completing their purchases at a later time.

Denver -- Quiznos continues to expand its international development with growth into seven countries in Asia and the Middle East. This is the latest addition to an international development strategy to open more than 1,000 restaurants in more than 40 countries by 2020 and will widen the company footprint abroad through the help of international master franchisees.  

Atlanta –- United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) is reportedly forecasting that six days in the upcoming holiday season will be busier for shipping packages than its busiest day in the 2013 holiday season. According to Bloomberg, UPS predicts it will deliver 585 million packages in December, an 11% year-over-year increase.  

Fort Worth, Texas -- RadioShack's Fix It Here same-day mobile repair service is now available in 31 stores in the Boston area. Fix It Here is available in more than 550 RadioShack stores in key markets across the nation, and RadioShack plans to rollout Fix It Here to 750 locations by the end of the year.