Supply Chain

Bidding Down Prices

Reverse auctions generate savings in supply chain

From Oct 2011 | By M.V. Greene | Tags: Nuts & Bolts, Supply Chain

E-Sourcing

M.V. Greene

Reverse auctions generate savings in supply chain

Delivering “price and quality” to customers is a standard mantra for any retailer, but arriving at that balance of cost and value is always a challenge. The starting point to savings typically lies within the supply chain — that’s where efficiencies can be generated and those lower costs passed on to customers.

With some 130 stores in the Northeast, Schenectady, N.Y.-based Price Chopper Supermarkets takes that price-quality creed to heart through the use of an ambitious e-sourcing platform that leverages reverse auctions.

No Room for Logistics Inventory

From Aug 2011 | By John Williford | Tags: Consider This, Supply Chain

POV

John Williford

The retail supply chain is laden with $450 billion worth of inventory, according to an April report from the U.S. Census Bureau. In addition, inventory carrying costs across all sectors increased 10.3 percent last year, according to a recent State of Logistics Report by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

To the Point …

Web-only article: Dennis Cohen, Sr. Director Private Brand Operations, Office Depot, Inc.

From May 2011 | By Susan Reda | Tags: Nuts & Bolts, Supply Chain

Susan Reda

Web-only article: Dennis Cohen, Sr. Director Private Brand Operations, Office Depot, Inc.

Dennis Cohen oversees the operating activities and strategy development for Office Depot’s $3.5B Private Brand business. His responsibilities include international logistics, product lifecycle management, vendor compliance, quality assurance, customs compliance and brand customer service.

STORES’ Editor Susan Reda recently caught up with Cohen at NRF’s first Global Supply Chain Summit, held last month in Columbus, Ohio.

As you look at the balance of the year, what do you consider to be the biggest supply chain challenges that lie ahead for Office Depot?

Go Where Customers Are

From May 2011 | By Susan Reda | Tags: Consider This, Supply Chain

Executive Editor's View

Susan Reda

"If you’re only selling in this country, you’re missing out on 95 percent of the world’s customers,” UPS Americas president Romaine Seguin told attendees of the NRF Global Supply Chain Summit last month in Columbus, Ohio. “Seventy percent of retail sales are happening outside the U.S.”

Who, What and Where

New tool provides geographic supplier picture

From May 2011 | By Karen M. Kroll | Tags: Supply Chain, Worth Watching

Sourcing

Karen M. Kroll

New tool provides geographic supplier picture

Search for “sweater suppliers in India,” and Google returns 3.7 million possible results in less than a second. Of course, determining which of these companies might be reliable, cost-effective vendors takes much longer.

Believe It or Not

Chilean retailer Ripley sees increased efficiency and lower costs with new warehouse management system

From May 2011 | By Len Lewis | Tags: Executive Suite, Supply Chain

Supply Chain

Len Lewis

Chilean retailer Ripley sees increased efficiency and lower costs with new warehouse management system

With a roster of more than 50 stores and a thriving online business, Ripley has been a fixture in the Chilean retail industry for more than 50 years, and one of the key players in the hotly contested department store segment in Chile and Peru.

Chain of Uncertainty

Retailers battling logistical concerns on multiple fronts

From Apr 2011 | By Susan Reda | Tags: Cover Story, Supply Chain

Supply Chain & Logistics / Cover Story

Susan Reda

Retailers battling logistical concerns on multiple fronts

Life is more than a little unsettled for retail supply chain executives these days. Since the start of the year they’ve had to deal with rising commodity prices, oil prices that have sprinted past $100 a barrel, turmoil in the Middle East that impacts oil prices and poses a potential threat to transportation routes, and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan that is likely to impact the availability of electronic components and devices.

The Changing Face of Retail

Meet the store associate of the future, mobile device in hand

From Apr 2011 | By M.V. Greene | Tags: Executive Suite, Supply Chain

Supply Chain & Logistics / Mobility

M.V. Greene

Meet the store associate of the future, mobile device in hand

A Special Report Sponsored by

Eco-Transport

Stonyfield incorporates green practices into its supply chain

From Apr 2011 | By Ed McKinley | Tags: Executive Suite, Supply Chain

Supply Chain & Logistics / Sustainability

Ed McKinley

Stonyfield incorporates green practices into its supply chain

A Special Report Sponsored by

Sustainability means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the future. Examples range from throwing an increasingly rare fish back into the lake to switching from finite fossil fuels to renewable solar, wind or water power.

A Clear Goal

Seeking complete transparency throughout the supply chain

From Apr 2011 | By Len Lewis | Tags: Executive Suite, Supply Chain

Supply Chain & Logistics / Visibility

Len Lewis

Seeking complete transparency throughout the supply chain

A Special Report Sponsored by

Getting product from Point A to Point B as quickly and cheaply as possible remains the principal goal of most logistics managers. But knowing what happens between those two points — achieving end-to-end visibility — has become the final frontier of supply chain management.