OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Restaurant lets customers pay using their face
A new restaurant concept gives customers an easy — and high-tech way — to pay for their meal without having to take out their wallet or even their smartphone.
Walmart pledges up to $30 million in hurricane relief, Target raises commitment
Walmart is stepping up its hurricane relief efforts. The discount giant announced that it will donate up to $10 million in additional support for 2017 hurricane relief efforts in the United States, a move that will bring Walmart’s total commitment to hurricane relief efforts this year to $30 million. This additional support comes on the heels of donations already provided in response to Hurricane Harvey that hit the Gulf region less than three weeks ago.

Study: Millennials put a premium on store associates

Generation Y may be tech-savvy, but for many, store employees still play a pivotal role in their overall shopping experience. In fact, 63% of shoppers aged 18-35 see store associates as extremely important to their retail experience, according to the “Store Associates Report,” from ChargeItSpot. The study is based on responses from more than 600 shoppers at malls across the country.
Williams-Sonoma going on hiring spree

Williams-Sonoma is looking for a few good people — somewhere in the vicinity of 4,000 to be more exact. The company will hold its first-ever National Hiring Day, on Thursday, Sept. 14, from 2 p.m. - 7 p.m. local time. The event will be held at all Williams-Sonoma branded stores across the U.S. and Canada.
California grocer’s educates customers at the shelf’s edge

Raley’s is helping its customers make more informed food purchasing decisions in-store and online. Called the Raley’s Shelf Guide, the program features icon-based shelf tags that educate shoppers about current food trends and industry research — and also sets stricter standards for packaged food claims. Overall, the service is creating label transparency when it comes to helping customers understand packaged goods’ ingredients, food processing and nutritional value.
E-commerce leader to open robotics-based depot in the Big Apple

Amazon is expanding its distribution fleet to the Empire State. The online giant plans to open a new 855,000-sq. ft. fulfillment center in the New York City borough of Staten Island. The facility, which is Amazon’s first fulfillment center in the state, will pick, pack and ship customer items, such as household essentials, books and toys.
Office supplies giant improves visibility across its supply chain

Office Depot is positioning itself to remove friction throughout its customers’ shopping experiences. The office supplies giant is partnering with Elementum, which provides a real-time supply chain platform that unifies procurement, logistics, manufacturing and inventory operations. By leveraging the company’s cloud-based Product Graph solution, Office Depot will gain global visibility across every segment of its business operations.
Cloud computing to drive Billabong’s omnichannel experience

A board sports apparel retailer is taking steps to blend its physical and digital retail channels. Billabong is leveraging the Aptos Singular Commerce platform to support omnichannel retailing across its global enterprise. The cloud-based solution will merge the retailers’ physical and digital retail channels, and create a single view of customers, inventory and orders, among other operations.
Discounter’s head of risk and compliance to depart

Target is losing another key executive. Jackie Rice, Target's chief risk and compliance officer, announced she will be leaving the company at the end of the month. Rice announced that leaving is a personal decision, and she wants to be closer to her family who lives outside of Minneapolis, according to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal.
Uniqlo creates plan to embark on digital transformation

In a move to attract more specialized information technology specialists, Uniqlo is renovating its digital DNA.