OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Hicksville, N.Y. - The battle between the board of Men’s Wearhouse and its founder and former chairman, George Zimmer, continues to have a significant negative impact on the company’s online image.  According to a report by GenSent Insights, the company’s sentiment score, a measure of the tone surrounding a brand on a scale of -100 to +100, plummeted from an average of + 68 in mid-June to a low of -52.  The sentiment on Twitter alone fell from an uncommonly high score of +93 to a low of -80. 

Minneapolis - Target announced plans to open new stores in Fresno and Rocklin, Calif., in March 2014.

The Fresno store will be part of the Marketplace at El Paseo shopping center. The Rocklin store will be part of the Rocklin Commons shopping center.

The Fresno Northwest store will be approximately 140,000 sq. ft.

Davenport, Iowa - Von Maur announceed that its newest store, located at the Iowa River Landing in Coralville, Iowa, will open on July 27, 2013.

The 80,000-sq.-ft., free-standing brick store will feature Von Maur's signature exterior entrance and residential ambiance, along with an expansive open floor plan and larger departments that are designed to allow for greater product selection and more easily navigable aisles and common areas.

Atlanta - Spanx, the fast-growing dollar undergarment and apparel company, will open a custom designed, expanded company headquarters and a flagship store in Buckhead Atlanta, a major mixed-use project in the heart of the area’s business district. (The project, now under construction, was initially called Streets of Buckhead.)

The headquarters will occupy three floors, a rooftop garden terrace and additional balconies. Spanx is anticipated to move in November 2014.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. - Sears Holdings on Friday joined the growing list of retailers and other companies severing ties with Southern celebrity chef Paula Deen in the wake of the controversy regarding her use of a racial slur. Both Sears and Kmart sold Paula Deen products.

“After careful consideration of all available information, we have made the decision to phase out all products tied to the brand,” Sears said in a statement. “We will continue to evaluate the situation. Our members’ needs will be given first priority.’

Canton, Mass. – Dunkin’ Donuts plans to start offering gluten-free bakery items by the end of this year. Participating U.S. Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants will have the option to offer certified gluten-free bakery products, including a new gluten-free cinnamon sugar donut and a gluten-free blueberry muffin. Both items are certified gluten-free by the Gluten Free Certification Organization, prepared in a dedicated facility and individually packaged.

New York – Macy’s will pay $175,000 in civil penalties to the U.S. government in an agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) settling claims of mistreatment of immigrant workers. In addition to paying the $175,000 fine, Macy’s will also revise its employment eligibility reverification policies and procedures and to provide training to its human resources personnel across the country on the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA).

Washington, D.C. – Shop.org, the digital retail division of the National Retail Federation (NRF), named six new members to its board of directors and also reappointed three existing members. All nine members will serve two-year terms.