Content about Supply chain management

SAN ANTONIO — During the 2013 HBW conference held in San Antonio, from May 31 to June 3, one of the most anticipated events by attendees was The Showcase. The Showcase venue gave suppliers an opportunity to highlight their innovative new products or packaging to retailers and wholesalers attending the event. The Showcase also offered an opportunity to present any type of merchandising vehicle available to display their products: floor or counter-top displays, pallet programs, clip strips, wing panels and others, as well as single retail Items.

WESTLAKE, Texas — Sears Holdings Corp. has given an award to a healthcare inventory logistics company for results from its pharmacy inventory management and compliance software.

As the Total Store Expo draws near, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores has put together a checklist to help industry members gear up for a successful event.

TSE, which marks a new concept for trading partners, will combine the Marketplace Conference, the Pharmacy and Technology Conference and the Supply Chain and Logistics Conference into one mega trade show held Aug. 10 to 13 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas.

NEW YORK — A hunger relief group serving Philadelphia and surrounding areas has hired a New York-based brand and retail design consultancy to design a prototype nonprofit grocery store to address food deserts.

The agency, CBX, said the Philabundance had hired it to design the store, Fare & Square, which will open this summer in Chester, Pa.

NEW YORK — Club retailers could be in for a good time over the next three years, according to a new study.

The study, by Deloitte, found that consumer products executives expect growth through warehouse club retailers to outpace those of other retail channels, including mass merchandise, supermarkets and online retail.

PURCHASE, N.Y. — A slowdown in retail spending happened after a boost that followed Hurricane Sandy, according to a new report by a division of MasterCard.

MasterCard Advisors released its SpendingPulse report, finding that a three-week recovery in retail spending after Sandy began to slow during the week that ended Dec. 8, while some sectors, like specialty apparel, slipped into negative growth.

NEW YORK — On Wednesday, November 28, chainstoreage.com will unveil an exclusive and revealing look at how shoppers felt—what turned them on and off—on two of the busiest and most critical retail days of the year: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The Holiday Shopper Sentiment Report: Black Friday and Cyber Monday Consumer Face-Off by SAP will explore real-time trends and insights that will inform the next generation of retail.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is offering Black Friday discounts early at its stores this year.

The retail pharmacy chain said it would open its stores from at least 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and emailing Black Friday survival guides with shopping tips and savings to customers. The National Retail Federation predicts that 71 million shoppers will visit retailers over Black Friday weekend.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — With shoppers looking for ways to buy things more conveniently, it's clear that the age of the multichannel consumer is well under way, and retailers would be wise to respond in kind. Many of them have already done so.

According to retail consulting firm Upstream Commerce, convenience ranks at the top of reasons why consumers shop online, and as recent news has shown, this is just as true for supermarkets as it is for anyone else.

PLAINVIEW, N.Y. — A recent study showed that supermarkets generate high satisfaction among their shoppers. Supermarkets scored an average of 4.47 on a five-point satisfaction scale (where five is the highest), according to the "2012 U.S. Supermarket Experience Study" conducted by the Retail Feedback Group.

MIAMI — While out-of-stock items and inventory performance remain top of mind, retailers' concerns about understanding customer preferences — along with their own ability to respond to those preferences with new ideas about pricing and promotions — have become top business challenges, according to a survey of 96 retailers published Wednesday by Retail Systems Research.

CHICAGO — Are macro category pressures across tobacco and gas driving convenience stores toward healthier food options? That's a question raised by a recently published white paper from Nielsen.