• The Wall Street Journal has a story about how Target “is testing a new distribution strategy aimed at speeding up its restocking and making the retailer more nimble at stores and online as it competes with rivals like Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart Inc.
“The aim is to pare what Target calls its replenishment cycle from days to hours and reduce inventory at stores, especially at the retailer’s new small-format stores and locations in denser urban areas. The approach, now in pilot mode at a warehouse in Perth Amboy, N.J., also uses the same pool of inventory to replenish stores and fulfill online orders, a departure from Target’s existing supply chain.”
• The Seattle Times reports that Albertsons “will close two unprofitable grocery stores in Seattle’s north end next month, citing increasing costs related to city of Seattle regulations implemented over the last three years.” Albertsons said the decision was not related to the city’s passage of a corporate “head tax” of $275 per employee, per year, which the city says will be used to address Seattle’s homeless problem.
• The Wall Street Journal reports on how collagen - typically used in beauty creams - now is finding its way into food.
“Foods infused with collagen and touting beauty and health benefits have been popular in Japan and Europe for years,” the story says. “Now they are making a splash in the U.S., in products from coffee creamer to protein bars. The rise of collagen as a food ingredient also comes as the line between food and medicine is blurring, nutrition experts say, and consumers seek ‘functional foods’ that promise more than just nutrition.”
“The aim is to pare what Target calls its replenishment cycle from days to hours and reduce inventory at stores, especially at the retailer’s new small-format stores and locations in denser urban areas. The approach, now in pilot mode at a warehouse in Perth Amboy, N.J., also uses the same pool of inventory to replenish stores and fulfill online orders, a departure from Target’s existing supply chain.”
• The Seattle Times reports that Albertsons “will close two unprofitable grocery stores in Seattle’s north end next month, citing increasing costs related to city of Seattle regulations implemented over the last three years.” Albertsons said the decision was not related to the city’s passage of a corporate “head tax” of $275 per employee, per year, which the city says will be used to address Seattle’s homeless problem.
• The Wall Street Journal reports on how collagen - typically used in beauty creams - now is finding its way into food.
“Foods infused with collagen and touting beauty and health benefits have been popular in Japan and Europe for years,” the story says. “Now they are making a splash in the U.S., in products from coffee creamer to protein bars. The rise of collagen as a food ingredient also comes as the line between food and medicine is blurring, nutrition experts say, and consumers seek ‘functional foods’ that promise more than just nutrition.”
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