John Deere keeps inventory low, forecasts more cost cutting in 2020

Low inventory levels across agricultural product segments is part of a cost-cutting strategy the company hopes will protect it from continued uncertainty in the industry — along with factory layoffs and corporate buyouts. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Dec. 2, 2019

Dollar Tree adds executive to take aim at inventory shrink

CEO Gary Philbin suggested tighter inventory allocations were in order, along with a new executive to address loss.

By Emma Cosgrove • Nov. 27, 2019

Best Buy launches e-commerce pickup in 175 New York UPS, CVS locations

Roughly 99% of Best Buy customers now live in a ZIP code where next-day delivery is available — up from 80% last quarter, according to CEO Corrie Barry.

By Morgan Forde • Nov. 27, 2019

Decathlon's vertical supply chain approach thrives overseas. Will it work in California?

After conquering the rest of the world, the French sporting goods company is up and running in the U.S, but not without supply chain challenges. 

By Amanda Loudin • Nov. 26, 2019

FedEx expects to move more than 33M packages on Cyber Monday alone

In addition to record package volumes on Monday, Dec. 2 , FedEx expects to more than double its daily average package volumes for the following two Mondays.

By Morgan Forde • Nov. 25, 2019

Seasonal retail workers attracted to flexible work options, report says

Robust hiring forecasts preceded a holiday hiring season that began as early as August for some retailers.

By Valerie Bolden-Barrett • Nov. 25, 2019

Patent Pending: Nike's ship-from-store concept, Walmart's autonomous locker

Supply chain innovators apply to patent what they see as important tools for the future of supply chains. Sometimes they're brilliant. Sometimes they're funny. Every week, we'll share a few.

By Matt Leonard • Nov. 21, 2019

Lowe's to invest $1.7B in supply chain over 5 years

New warehouses are taking the pressure off stores to make customer deliveries — an important shift since a main challenge has been figuring out how to keep store items in stock. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Nov. 21, 2019

Target credits new tech with lowering backroom inventory

The items in the system, roughly 15% so far, show less frequent stockouts and lower backroom quantities than those not yet integrated.

By Emma Cosgrove • Nov. 21, 2019

Home Depot assesses tariff impact SKU-by-SKU

Home Depot's tariff mitigation strategy is a data-driven effort analyzing the impact of tariffs at the SKU level.

By Emma Cosgrove • Nov. 20, 2019

From Santa's workshop to omnichannel sales: Preparing for holiday fulfillment

Santa’s workshop isn’t located at the North Pole — it’s the online boutique, the cozy shop around the corner, the big-box retailer and the e-commerce giant.

By Jan Arendtsz • Nov. 19, 2019

Survey: 39% of consumers have ditched in-store purchases due to out-of-stocks

Over half of Gen X shoppers and 75% of millennials have abandoned items in-store only to buy them online, according to a new report. 

By Lisa Rowan • Nov. 18, 2019

Adidas moves high-tech Speedfactory to Asia, closing factories in US, Germany

With the production move, Adidas suggests the business case is still better in Asia, even with advanced technology and despite the distance from target consumers. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Nov. 12, 2019

Ralph Lauren launches QR-based tracking system to boost supply chain visibility, fight counterfeits

Ralph Lauren's manufacturers will sew the QR tags into garments adjacent to traditional branded tags. From that point on, the garments will be digitally attached to a purchase order and tracked through the supply chain. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Nov. 6, 2019

Walmart overtaking Amazon? Not so fast

Some statistics that seem worrying for the e-commerce giant could actually be a boon, though it's clear Walmart is advancing nicely.

By Daphne Howland • Nov. 6, 2019

Under Armour cuts inventory 23%, sees lower excess product levels

Somewhat ironically, a decrease in product going to off-price channels led CFO David Bergman to lower revenue growth projections for the full year.

By Emma Cosgrove • Nov. 6, 2019

Avon reduced inventory by $43M in a push for simplicity — is it enough?

"Choking on complexity," the more than century-old beauty brand is knee-deep in yet another turnaround effort as it prepares to be acquired. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Nov. 5, 2019

Save-A-Lot adds Amazon pickup, returns to St. Louis stores

The addition of Amazon Paycode allows consumers to pick up and pay for Amazon packages using cash.

By Lauren Manning • Nov. 5, 2019

How Nordstrom got a handle on omnichannel fulfillment

As store business shrank and online business grew, Nordstrom and Opex Analytics turned their attention to fulfillment. 

By Amanda Loudin • Oct. 29, 2019

Conquering peak season: 5 tips to optimize holiday order fulfillment

For retailers, the ability to efficiently get products into the hands of consumers after they click "Buy Now" has become a competitive advantage. 

By Johannes Panzer • Oct. 29, 2019

Walmart's last mile around the world

From tricycles to drones, Walmart is casting a wide net to find out how shoppers want to receive their goods.

By Emma Cosgrove • Oct. 29, 2019

Amazon unveils free grocery delivery

Amazon has been focused on streamlining operations recently between Whole Foods and its own grocery properties. 

By Jessica Dumont • Oct. 29, 2019

Black & Decker finds the upside to list 4 tariffs

Black & Decker executives are planning to mitigate a higher percentage of tariff costs in 2020 and build a "very significant cushion" in case of an economic downturn. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Oct. 28, 2019

As Nike pledges no to Arctic shipping, Gap, H&M and more sign on

Nike said the decision dovetailed with its Move to Zero sustainability initiative, through which it hopes to achieve zero-waste and zero-carbon operations. 

By Morgan Forde • Oct. 28, 2019

FedEx: 82% of small businesses believe trade is key to economic growth

More than one-third of small business respondents in a study said fees and tariffs impacted them "a great deal."

By Morgan Forde • Oct. 25, 2019