News Briefs

7-Eleven Inc. is getting into the seasonal spirit with its online licensed gear and memorabilia store.

The convenience giant is now featuring a collection of holiday-themed apparel and accessories on 7Collection, an online merchandise shop featuring exclusive apparel and accessories, such as vintage tees and hats, it first opened in summer 2022.

The collection features a range of gifts and home accessories, including holiday sweaters, gift wrap and bags, beverage accessories, holiday ornaments, beanies and hats, and e-gift cards redeemable for any and all merchandise available on 7Collection.com. 7Collection will offer shoppers 25% off all merchandise Nov. 22-26. On Cyber Monday, Nov. 27, shoppers who purchase one item will receive 50% off the second item purchased.

"After some epic 7Collection drops in 2023, we're closing out the year with new holiday apparel and accessories that will be on every 7-Eleven superfan's wish list," said Marissa Jarratt, 7-Eleven executive VP, chief marketing & sustainability officer. "We curated this collection with all of our brand fans in mind - car accessories for car lovers, beverage holders for Big Gulp and coffee drinkers, and new apparel for fashion aficionados. This collection captures the spirit of the season, blending our brand's iconic style with a touch of holiday magic."

7-Eleven’s digital licensed merchandise venture follows in the footsteps of a number of retailers in the fast food vertical. Fast food chains including Dunkin’, McDonald’s, White Castle. and Arby’s have all opened online shops selling branded merchandise, including holiday-themed seasonal collections.

Pet Supermarket has named a retail veteran with 25  years of retail, e-commerce and consumer goods experience as its chief executive officer. 

The Florida-based specialty pet supply retailer named Rich Tannenbaum as CEO.  Most recently, from 2019 to 2023, he held the role of senior VP of global supply chain at Five Below, where he led the retailer’s rapid multinational logistics expansion. 

Prior to Five Below, Tannenbaum was chief supply chain officer and senior VP of information technology at Midwest retail chain Fleet Farm. He also served 10 years as senior VP of supply chain, IT and enterprise transformation at The Vitamin Shoppe.

“It is an incredible honor to be selected as Pet Supermarket’s next CEO, and to lead and serve this great organization,” said Tannenbaum. “I appreciate the leadership and work of all who came before me to build Pet Supermarket into the successful business and brand it is today. I am thrilled to help lead the organization into its next chapter of growth and success.”

The company said that Tannenbaum will help execute “multi-year growth and expansion plans.”

Pet Supermarket operates over 225 locations in the Southeast region.

The chief operating officer of Kohl’s has exited the company.

The department store retailer revealed in a Securities and Exchange filing that Dave Alves, president and COO, has left the company, effective Nov. 17.

Kohl’s named Alves, a 30-year retail veteran, to the role In February, with his appointment effective in April.  Prior to that, Alves spent 10 years at Bealls, including serving as president and chief retail officer, from January 2020 to February 2023. He joined Bealls, which is based in Bradenton, Fla., in 2012, as president.

In an emailed statement to Chain Store Age, Kohl's said that Alves  is leaving "to pursue other opportunities."

"We thank Dave for his leadership and wish him all the best in his future endeavors," the company stated.

Alves’ appointment as Kohl’s COO came several weeks after the retailer’s board appointed Tom Kingsbury as permanent CEO.  And it comes one day before the company is scheduled to release its third-quarter earnings. Kohl's reported declines in its second-quarter earnings and sales, although both were in line with its  expectations.

Kohl's has more than 1,100 stores in 49 states.

With the Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend days away, a new survey shows that cybersecurity is increasingly important to consumers making online purchases.

In a new study from Cybersecurity Guide,  57% of respondents “frequently” use websites to make purchases, and 42% use the internet to “sometimes” shop. When it comes to online spending this year, 41% intend on spending between $100 and $500, 19% of respondents plan on spending between $500 and $1,000, and 14% of respondents plan on spending more than $1,000.

Respondents in the survey say that site reputation and a sense of security online matter. A wide majority of respondents (68%) said that they avoid certain websites because of cybersecurity issues, while only 21% said they did not.

The cautiousness about non-secure websites comes from personal experience for many. According to the survey, 48% of respondents said they had dealt with ID or payment information theft online.

Cybersecurity Guide found that consumers product their identity and payment info online in a number of ways:

• 53% of respondents use credit monitoring services
• 20% of respondents use identity monitoring services
• 52% of respondents use password managers
• 18% of respondents use virtual private networks (VPNs)
• 14% of respondents use other security services

Tapestry is expanding its supply chain infrastructure to better serve West Coast customers.

The parent company of Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman is opening a new full-scale fulfillment center in North Las Vegas, Nev. The facility, which is expected to add more than 400 full-time jobs by 2029, leverages leading-edge material handling equipment technology to enhance the company’s fulfillment operations, including reducing delivery windows from five to seven days down to two to three days. 

The fulfillment center supports multi-brand fulfillment and is designed for sustainability and efficiency. Tapestry expects the facility distribute an annual 22.2 million units and hold 4 million units in inventory for both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce channels.

Tapestry is opening the center following its recent announcement it will acquire Michael Kors parent Capri Holdings Inc. for $8.5 billion. Capri also owns Versace and Jimmy Choo. 

“The opening of our newest full-scale fulfillment center here in North Las Vegas will equip us to continue stretching what’s possible for our brands, our people, and our customers,” said Joanne Crevoiserat, CEO of Tapestry Inc. "Moving at the speed of the consumer is an essential component of our business. With cutting-edge technology, this fulfillment center strengthens our omni-channel capabilities and helps us better serve West Coast customers.”

As of July 1, 2023, Tapestry’s portfolio included 330 Coach stores in North America and 609 international locations; 205 Kate Spade stores in North America and 609 international locations; and 36 Stuart Weitzman stores in North America and 57 international locations.

Thousands of Walgreens pharmacies nationwide will go dark on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 23.

The company, which had a total of 8,701 stores in the U.S. as of Aug. 31, is closing most of its stores on the holiday. An exception is the approximate 700 Walgreens 24-hour locations, nearly all of whic will remain open “to help meet the healthcare needs of our customers,’ Walgreens said. This is the first time in Walgreens' history that its stores will closed on Thanksgiving Day.

In addition, a “small number” of Walgreens distribution centers and other sites will also continue to operate on Thanksgiving Day, including supply chain and centralized teams. 

The move comes on the heels of walkouts in October by some pharmacists at Walgreens and CVS Health stores across the country.  The employees claim that insufficient staffing has made for overwhelming work environments. It also comes under the leadership of new CEO Tim Wentworth, who took the reins Walgreens in October.

“We have consistently heard from our team members—who are the face of Walgreens—that time off is a meaningful way for us to demonstrate we value them,” said Tracey D. Brown, executive VP, president, Walgreens retail and chief customer officer. “We heard them, are committed to listening to their feedback and are dedicated to doing what is right for them. We hope they can enjoy the holiday and spend time with their loved ones.”

Brown added that the company’s change in operations this year is intended to acknowledge “the dedication of our store team members and leadership, pharmacists and pharmacy techs who are working incredibly hard to deliver great customer and patient care.”

  “We’re grateful for all they do each day,” he said.