OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

New York -- Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. has accused Mitchell Modell, CEO of Modell’s Sporting Goods, of disguising himself as a Dick’s executive to illegally obtain confidential business information, The Record reported.

Zaandam, The Netherlands -- Ahold plans to significantly expand its Peapod presence in the U.S. market.

"Peapod is expected to double its capacity in the U.S. in 2014," Dick Boer, Ahold CEO, told analysts during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call.

Plainville, Mass. – Honey Dew Donuts plans to open a new store inside a YMCA in Quincy, Mass. In an interesting twist, the store reportedly won’t actually serve the retailer’s titular product.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp. on Friday acknowledged that it is reviewing its systems to see if it has been the victim of a security breach. To date, it hasn’t found any indication of a breach, the retailer said.

Sears issued a statement after Bloomberg News reported on Friday that the U.S. Secret Service was investigating a possible breach at Sears. The report cited a person familiar with the investigation.

New Delhi, India – Narendra Modi, candidate of opposition party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for Indian prime minister, reportedly has made statements in favor of global online retailing and India’s small retailers learning to compete with large retailers. According to Reuters, at a meeting of the Confederation of All India Traders, Modi said small local retailers should improve the quality of their goods to a level closer to that of large global competitors, and also consider entering contracts with large online retailers to create virtual trade.

New York -- Bed Bath & Beyond has appointed Eugene A. Castagna, previously CFO and treasurer, to the role of COO. Susan E. Lattmann, formerly VP of finance, will fill the CFO and treasurer spot.
 
Castagna has been with the company since  1994 and has served as CFO and Treasurer since 2006. Previously, he served as assistant treasurer from 2002 to 2006 and as VP of finance from 2000 to 2006.

Duluth, Ga. - More than 77% of Americans would be less likely to return to a store if they experienced long checkout lines. According to a new study from Omnico Group, after eight minutes, Americans are likely to abandon the checkout line and leave the store with no purchase.

Tokyo – Major Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox has reportedly gone offline with no advance notice or explanation. According to NBC News, the Mt. Gox website is blank, its offices are closed, its Twitter account has deleted all tweets, and all trading has been halted.