OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Sears makes amends with top supplier
The public feud between Eddie Lampert, chairman and CEO of Sears, and a top supplier seems to have been resolved. In his May 15 blog, Lampert took aim at some of the chain’s vendors in a blog post. It read:
Discounter opens new warehouse in Wisconsin
Coinciding with its recently announced growth plan, Dollar General opened a new distribution center. The new $100 million facility resides in Janesville, Wisconsin. It is the company’s 14th warehouse. The approximately 1 million-sq.-ft. depot, which began shipping merchandise in January, serves approximately 800 stores in nine states in the upper Midwest, and employs more than 500 employees. Along with more than 130 store locations in the state, Dollar General now has more than 1,300 employees in the state of Wisconsin.

Office supplies giant sells operations in China

Office Depot is selling off another international unit. The office supplies giant announced it will sell its stores in China to Shanghai M&G Colipu Office Supplies Co., Ltd. The public, China-based public company manufactures and sells writing instruments, as well as stationery products for offices and students.
Unemployment drops to lowest level post-recession

The unemployment rate has hit a new, but welcomed milestone. The U.S. unemployment rate is now 4.3%. This is the lowest it's been since 2001. However, job gains missed the mark by a wide margin. The economy only added 138,000 jobs last month, missing the 185,000 mark expected by analysts. Job gains have occurred with an average monthly gain of 181,000 over the past 12 months.
Walmart leverages ‘employees’ for last-mile delivery initiative
Walmart CEO: ‘Associates are the secret to our success’

Walmart is no stranger to innovation. However, when defining the secret to the company’s success, Walmart’s chief executive Doug McMillon said he just has to look within the company’s proverbial four walls.
Amazon expands distribution fleet in California

Amazon is bolstering fulfillment efforts in the Golden State. The online giant will open an 855,000-sq.-ft. fulfillment center in Fresno, California. The new facility will specialize in handling smaller-sized items such as books, electronic devices and children’s toys. The Fresno facility will be the fifth warehouse in the state’s Central Valley. Amazon currently operates three fulfillment centers in Tracy and Patterson, and a fourth facility under construction in Sacramento.
Whole Foods Market overcharging allegations resurface

A lawsuit accusing a natural-foods grocer of overcharging customers has been revived. On Friday, June 2, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City ordered Whole Foods Market to face a proposed class-action lawsuit accusing it of overcharging shoppers in New York City. The suit claims the chain overstated the weight of pre-packaged food in its supermarkets, according to Reuters.
Walmart augments training with virtual reality

While the industry continues to explore how to leverage virtual reality, Walmart is embracing the technology in a big way. The retail giant will be adding VR-based instruction at its 200 Walmart Academy training centers in the United States by the end of the year. The technology will be used to educate approximately 140,000 employees that go through the program each year, according to Walmart.
Kmart targeted in data breach — again

For the second time in less than three years, Kmart was hit by a malicious hack. On Wednesday, May 31, Kmart’s parent company, Sears Holdings revealed that the chain was the victim of a security incident. The company became aware of the attack, which involved unauthorized credit card activity, following certain customer purchases made at some of its Kmart stores. Shoppers were alerted to the breach via email Wednesday evening.