Walmart E-commerce CEO Lore is departing
January 25, 2021 by MMR	e-commerce, Marc Lore, Walmart 2021, Issue 01-25-2021, Issues
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Marc Lore, who helped spearhead Walmart's transformation into an omnichannel retailer, is leaving the company on January 31. He will continue to serve Walmart as a strategic advisor until September, the company said. In a company email, Walmart president and chief executive officer Doug McMillon credited Lore with helping accelerate Walmart's e-commerce
Holiday sales soared a surprising 8.3%
January 25, 2021 by MMR	2020, holiday sales 2021, Issue 01-25-2021, Issues
WASHINGTON — Retail sales during 2020's November-December holiday season grew an unexpectedly high 8.3% over the same period in 2019 to $789.4 billion, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Online and other non-store sales increased 23.9% to $209 billion. NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz said consumers shifted into high gear in December, giving the
NACDS meeting Is going virtual
January 25, 2021 by MMR	2021 NACDS Annual Meeting, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, virtual 2021, Issue 01-25-2021, Issues
ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores plans to hold its 2021 NACDS Annual Meeting as a virtual event. It is scheduled for April 26 to April 28. NACDS says the virtual event will offer relevant and timely business programs featuring NACDS leadership and noted experts in the current state of pandemic
WBA begins 2021 with major moves
January 25, 2021 by MMR	Walgreens Boots Alliance 2021, Issue 01-25-2021, Issues
DEERFIELD, Ill. — The chaotic U.S. health care landscape is clearly one filled with opportunity to Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), which has launched several new initiatives since the start of the year. During a recent presentation at the virtual JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, WBA executive vice president and chief financial officer James Kehoe described the industry
CVS names Peluso, Havanec to leadership roles
January 25, 2021 by MMR	CVS Health, Laurie Havanec, Michelle Peluso 2021, Issue 01-25-2021, Issues
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Health has focused on people with two recent appointments, tapping Michelle Peluso to serve as the company's first chief customer officer and naming Laurie Havanec executive vice president and chief people officer. In a newly created executive leadership role, Peluso will be responsible for transforming the consumer experience and accelerating CVS
Amazon tops favorite retailer list
January 25, 2021 by MMR	Amazon, dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index 2021, Issue 01-25-2021, Issues
CHICAGO — Amazon took the top spot in the fourth annual dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index (RPI), partly on the strength of its business in a year dominated by COVID-19. Target's own performance in response to the pandemic allowed it to break into the top quartile of the index for the first time, dunnhumby said. The
Impact of AI and machine learning is being felt inside stores
January 25, 2021 by MMR	Artificial intelligence, Big Show, machine learning, NRF 2021, Issue 01-25-2021, Issues
NEW YORK — After years of talk about the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning to transform retail operations, the tools are beginning to make an impact in brick-and-mortar stores, as well as e-commerce. "Customer-driven commerce: How predictive, personalized digital fulfillment capabilities are transforming consumer experiences," a session at the National Retail Federation's Big
Imports set record last year despite COVID, and remain high
January 25, 2021 by MMR	Global Port Tracker, Hackett Associates, imports, National Retail Federation, NRF 2021, Issue 01-25-2021, Issues
WASHINGTON — According to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released this month by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates, imports seen during 2020 appear to be headed toward a new record despite the coronavirus pandemic, and remain at high levels as 2021 begins. "Nobody would have thought last spring that 2020 would
NACDS: a group like no other
January 25, 2021 by David Pinto	Annual Meeting, David Pinto, NACDS 2021, Issue 01-25-2021, Issues
Editor's note: This editorial was written prior to NACDS' decision to hold this year's Annual Meeting as a virtual event. With the approach of February, the chain drug industry turns its collective eye toward April and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Annual Meeting, that traditional harbinger of the industry's spring, time of renewal,
It's full speed ahead for WBA in the new year
January 25, 2021 by Jeffrey Woldt	2021, Jeffrey Woldt, Walgreens Boots Alliance 2021, Issue 01-25-2021, Issues
Walgreens Boots Alliance has shifted into high gear since the start of 2021. Building on a foundation that it painstakingly laid in recent years, the company has unleashed a salvo of initiatives designed to buttress its central role in health care and retailing. Following the realignment of its partnership with AmerisourceBergen — a transaction that
How will normal life appear in 2021?
January 25, 2021 by Scot Meyer	2021, COVID-19, normal, Scot Meyer 2021, Issue 01-25-2021, Issues
The COVID-19 pandemic that upended life in 2020 shows no signs of relenting just because a new year and new vaccines have arrived. And while spring and summer are expected to move us in the direction of normal life, there remains the question of what that version of normal will look like. Two new reports
The pandemic's impact on consumer health care
January 25, 2021 by Ed Rowland	Ed Rowland, health care, pandemic 2021, Issue 01-25-2021, Issues
Editors note: This is an abridged version of an article that ran in Nicholas Hall's CHC Insight North America, a bimonthly publication that covers consumer health care. When Bob Dylan released "The Times, They Are A-Changin" in October 1963 he could have been talking about the 2020 consumer health world in North America. The velocity