OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Naperville, Ill. – Count OfficeMax as the latest in a growing list of retailers opening its doors at 8 p.m. local time Thanksgiving night (as permitted by law). Online Black Friday discounts at OfficeMax.com start at 12:01 a.m. EST Thanksgiving morning.

The OfficeMax Black Friday shopping event will take place for three days from Thursday, Nov. 28 to Saturday, Nov. 30 in stores and at OfficeMax.com.

Orte Madera, Calif. -- Restoration Hardware Holdings announced the appointment of Katie Mitic to its board of directors, effective immediately. Mitic, who will also serve on the board’s audit committee, is a veteran technology leader and entrepreneur with nearly 20 years of strategic product, marketing and business development experience.

Alameda, Calif. -- MBH Architects appointed team members Eddie Hall and Joanna Wong to associates and has hired Paula DeLiso as its new business development representative.

As an associate, Eddie Hall will be taking on more of a leadership role within the internal operations of the company while maintaining his position in MBH’s retail studio, where he recently worked on Portland CityTarget.

Washington, D.C. -- Walmart U.S. president and CEO Bill Simon and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced at the SelectUSA 2013 Investment Summit on Thursday that three suppliers have made new domestic manufacturing commitments that will create 385 jobs. The move is part of the retailer’s previously announced pledge to buy an additional $50 billion in U.S.-made products over the next decade.

Walmart said that Elan-Polo, Louis Hornick & Company and EveryWare Global will produce footwear, curtains and glassware, respectively.

San Francisco – Almost nine-in-10 (88%) consumers will shop in stores this holiday season, compared to 75% who will shop online and 16% who will shop via mobile device. A new Harris Interactive survey co-sponsored by Aerohive Networks and Euclid also shows that physical retailers still need to address consumer concerns regarding in-store holiday shopping.

Specifically, consumers are most concerned about crowds (42%), lines (29%), and out-of-stock items (15%) affecting their in-store holiday shopping this year.

New York -- Nook Media LLC, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc., is releasing the new Nook GlowLight e-reader.

At 6.2 ounces, it is the lightest Nook device ever, and new lighting technology light is evenly distributed, turns on instantly and adjusts with a touch. The built-in anti-glare screen on the re-engineered display offers what Barnes & Noble says is paper-like readability, even in bright sunlight.

New York -- Bloomingdale’s longtime chief executive and chairman, Michael Gould, 70, is stepping down after 22 years on the job. He will be succeeded by Tony Spring, 48, currently Bloomingdale’s president and COO, effective Feb. 1, 2014. A successor to Spring as president of Bloomingdale’s is expected to be named in 2014.

Brooklyn, N.Y. -- Lifestyle/Trimco/Viaggio, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based manufacturer of mannequins, forms, specialty fixtures, fabric applications, seasonal trim and holiday décor, has merged with Almax, the world-renowned mannequin company based in Italy.
 
The new company, Global Visual Group, will make its debut at A.R.E.’s Retail Design Collective, which will be in New York City, December 4-6, 2013.