OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Capitol Hill veteran joins RILA’s government affairs team
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has named Even Armstrong as VP of government affairs, effective Aug. 1. Armstrong will lead advocacy efforts related to workforce and employment issues before Congress and federal agencies, including the Department of Labor (DOL), the EEOC and NLRB.
Study: Cost reduction a top priority of retailers
Retailers are focused on getting leaner. That’s according to a new study by Accenture, in which 88% of retailers said they were focused on cost reduction to free up funds necessary to reinvest in growth initiatives. As for where they are those cost savings, the top three areas were expanding into new geographies (cited by 60%), digital technologies (54%) and enhancing customer experiences (52%).

Interview: Target CIO aligns IT around customer

Since taking over as CIO of Target Corp. in February 2015, Mike McNamara has been aggressively developing a new operational model for IT.
Victoria’s Secret exec joining department store retailer

Belk Inc. is expanding its senior leadership team. The company, which operates 293 stores in 16 Southern states, named Randy Whitaker as executive VP, chief stores officer, effective June 27. He comes to Belk after more than 15 years at Victoria’s Secret, having most recently served as executive VP of store operations. His previous roles at Victoria’s Secret include senior VP of finance, real estate and stores, and VP of real estate integration.
Cosmetic giant names its first-ever chief retail officer

L'Oreal USA appointed of Marc-Alexandre Risch to the newly created position of chief retail officer for L'Oreal USA. The appointments comes as L’Oreal’s retail banners, which include Kiehl’s, are expanding. Risch will responsible for supporting the organization with retail operations leadership and knowledge, developing back-office retail operations solutions, systems and synergies across the company, and helping to establish seamless, omnichannel consumer experiences across L'Oreal USA's brand portfolio.
Gordmans grabs Bon Ton ops exec

Veteran Bon-Ton Stores executive Michael Ricart has joined value-priced department store chain Gordman’s Stores as senior vice president of stores.
What keeps small retailers up at night …
Survey: Low-tech online fraud detection remains popular

Manual security remains prominent among North American retailers despite a predicted increase in fraud related to card not present (CNP) transactions.
Target finds itself in middle of national debate

An announcement by Target on its website saying it that would allow employees and customers to choose the restroom and fitting room that corresponded with their gender identities has thrust the chain into the middle of a contentious national debate.
IDC: Walmart takes the lead in another area

The word “big” is often associated with Walmart, and that adjective also applies to the discount retailer’s IT spending.

According to data from IDC, Walmart Stores Inc. spent more on IT than any other company globally in 2015, to the tune of more than $10.5 billion. No other retailer, not fellow large tech-focused organization Amazon.com, cracked the top 10 list.