Supply Chain and Merchandising

Before every child has walked through the doors for their first day of school, the unofficial end of summer has been ushered in by all things pumpkin.

Nordstrom announced plans to build on their supply chain optimization initiatives, including boosting radio-frequency identification (RFID) initiatives while continuing to enhance inventory productivity and returns processing.

Subway will be acquired by affiliates of Roark Capital, while SHEIN partners with SPARC Group to expand their offerings for consumers.

Walmart is rolling out initiatives emphasizing engagement and expanding consumer offerings, including drone delivery and developing experiences within Roblox's virtual gaming platform.

For retailers, who rely on distributed IT infrastructure to support both in-store and eCommerce sales, weather-related outages like these could result in downtime or lost business data that severely disrupts the ability to do business. With federal agencies urging the public to prepare for the storm activity expected in the months ahead, retailers should take measures now to protect their IT investments.

Macy’s reported weaker second-quarter earnings, shedding light on reduced consumer spending, named a chief customer and digital officer, and announced small-format expansion plans.

Dick’s Sporting Goods revealed this week shrink represented a third of its merchandise margin decline and blamed organized retail crime. RIS reports on what retailers across the board are saying about theft and shrink.

PacSun is upgrading its POS system, with a view to bringing the omnichannel experience to a broader segment of customers. Get the details.