OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Long John Silver’s names Sonic brand exec CEO
Louisville, Ky. - Long John Silver's has named James O'Reilly as CEO. O'Reilly brings to the role more than 20 years of food service executive experience, including his most recent stint as chief brand officer for Sonic Drive-In.

In addition, O'Reilly has served in a variety of domestic and international leadership positions for food service and CPG companies including Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Yum Brands, and Procter and Gamble.
American Apparel names digital, marketing execs
Los Angeles - American Apparel Inc. has named Thoryn Stephens as chief digital officer, a newly created position, and Cynthia Erland as senior VP of marketing. Both Stephens and Erland will assume their roles on March 9 and will report to CEO Paula Schneider.

Report: Target expands ‘Made to Matter’ organic program

Minneapolis – Target Corp. reportedly thinks having a range of organic products matters. According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Target has selected 31 new brands to participate in the second year of its “Made to Matter” program, which promotes new sustainable, organic and natural goods.
Survey: Almost all retailers vulnerable to insider data threats

San Jose, Calif. – Almost all retail IT decision-makers feel vulnerable to insider data security threats. According to the 2015 Insider Threat Report from enterprise data security provider Vormetric, 93% of U.S. retail respondents reported they were "somewhat" or more vulnerable to insider threats.
American Express launches program to help smaller merchants combat fraud

New York -- American Express has officially launched its Small Merchant EMV Assistance Program, which was announced last October by President Obama. The nationwide campaign was created to help U.S. small merchants fight fraud through a $10 million reimbursement program designed to accelerate adoption of EMV payment terminals. It will also arm small merchants with knowledge about EMV’s security benefits.
H2O+ names new CEO

Chicago -- Skincare products retailer H2O+ announced the appointment of Joy Chen as the company's new president and CEO.

Chen most recently served as the CEO of YES TO Inc. where she managed the YES TO skin and bodycare portfolio’s expansion of North America and International distribution. She brings over 20 years of industry experience and a proven track record of driving sales and profit growth, in demanding, complex turnaround situations.
Target lowers free shipping threshold to $25, undercutting Walmart

Minneapolis – While some retailers have been raising their spending threshold for free shipping in the past year or so, Target Corp. is taking the opposite approach. Target now offers free shipping for orders of $25 or more. The retailer said the price cut follows an enthusiastic response to its free-shipping offer during the holiday shopping season.

That is half the $50 minimum Target previously required for free shipping. The free rate applies to standard shipments that take three to five business days to arrive.
Helzberg Diamonds taps Intellicheck Mobilisa for ID verification

Port Townsend, Wash. -- Intellicheck Mobilisa, a leader in ID verification and wireless technology, signed a contract with Helzberg Diamonds to implement ID Check throughout Helzberg’s 230 U.S. retail locations.

Helzberg Diamonds will utilize ID Check at the point-of-sale (POS) in its stores to analyze and authenticate driver’s licenses, with a goal of reducing the risk of fraudulent purchases.
Report: Wal-Mart to offer sick pay on first day out

Bentonville, Ark. – In a reversal of corporate policy that did not offer workers paid sick leave until their second day of absence, Wal-Mart Store Inc. is reportedly now allowing employees to collect sick pay on their first day of not reporting to work due to illness. According to the Wall Street Journal, the change in policy is part of a larger effort to improve employee morale.
Google in deal to fuel growth of its mobile payment service

New York -- The mobile payments war continues to heat up. In a post on its blog, Google said it partnering with the three of the nation’s largest wireless carriers — AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile — to bring its Google Wallet mobile payment app to their Android phones later this year.

Google also said it has purchased some technology and intellectual property from payments firm Softcard (formerly known as Isis) to make Google Wallet better.