OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Bob Evans CEO resigns
New Albany, Ohio – Steve Davis has resigned as CEO of Bob Evans Farms Inc. by mutual agreement with the board of directors. The official change will take place immediately, but Davis will remain with the company through the end of the year to assist with the transition process.
QVC promotes merchandising exec to QVC Germany CEO
West Chester, Penn. – QVC has named Mathias Bork to the position of CEO of QVC Germany, effective Jan. 1, 2015. Bork will be responsible for overseeing QVC's operations and growth in the Germany market. Bork succeeds Steve Hofmann, CEO of QVC Europe, who has held the role of interim CEO of QVC Germany since the end of 2013. Bork will continue to report to Hofmann.

Staples Canada meets, exceeds Q3 sustainability goals

Toronto – Staples Canada has released its sustainability report for the third quarter of fiscal 2014, and highlights include collecting and recycling 116,000 kg of batteries, surpassing its goal of 100,000 kg. In addition, in October 2014, Staples became the first Canadian retailer to launch an exclusive green energy offering for small businesses, letting customers sign up for Bullfrog Power online.
Walmart, Kroger, and Target among chains working with University of Florida team to curtail shoplifting

GAINESVILLE, Fla - More than 40 major retail chains, including The Home Depot, Walmart, Kroger and Target, formed a specialized research council to facilitate the use of science to curtail theft and violence. As part of this effort, A specialized University of Florida research team has been formed to interviews offenders, analyzes large datasets, and conducts field experiments to adapt and devise new crime control methods and technologies.
Retailers upset with “harmful” NLRB ruling

Arlington, VA - Retailers on Friday criticized the National Labor Relations Board decision that gave the go-ahead to new laws to expedite the union election process. The amendments, to go into effect April 14, provide for electronic filing and transmission of election petitions and other documents; eliminates or reduces unnecessary litigation; and allows parties to consolidate election-related appeals to the board into a single appeals process, the NLRB said in a statement.
Commentary: Don’t buy into the hype—EMV is not a security “catch-all”

By Joe Majka, Verifone President Obama’s BuySecure Initiative sets the U.S. Government on track to adopt chip and PIN payment security, parallels - and seeks to encourage - a commercial industry shift toward EMV card technology.
Insights: Supreme Court Win for Employers

By Patrick Bannon, Rebecca DeGroff, Noah Finkel, Richard Alfred (Seyfarth Shaw LLP) The Supreme Court has unanimously that the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require employers to pay employees for time spent passing through post-shift security screening.
Kroger chairman retires, CEO Rodney McMullen to assume additional role

CINCINNATI — David Dillon, who led Kroger's development of the company's successful Customer 1st Strategy, will retire as chairman of the board on Dec. 31 after 38 years of service. As expected, the Kroger Board of Directors on Thursday elected Rodney McMullen, Kroger's CEO, to the additional post of chairman, commencing Jan. 1, 2015. McMullen has served on the board of directors since 2003.
Report – EBay may cut thousands of jobs in 2015

San Jose, Calif. – EBay Inc. is reportedly considering cutting up to 3,000 jobs early in 2015. According to the Wall Street Journal, the staff reductions would primarily occur in the EBay Marketplace unit as the company prepares to spin off its PayPal unit.
Forget the hype—Amazon not opening store in New York City

New York - Back in the fall, reports were rampant that Amazon would open a physical store in mid-town Manhattan in time for the holiday rush. The online giant had rented space across from the Empire State Building, according to reports, with plans to open a space that would double as a store and mini-depot where select orders could be picked up and returned. But with the holiday season in full-swing, there is no Amazon storefront on West 34th Street—and it doesn’t appear any is likely in the near future.