Inventory Mgmt with Perishable Demand

Resale of Fast Fashion? Mother Earth Is Not Impressed

Contrary to early expectations, the resale of fast-fashion items has done little to reduce carbon emissions.

A recent study shows that the resale efforts might be misplaced because, in the end, few people want to buy clothes that were trendy last season, but have now lost their appeal. Business empires have been built on fast fashion. Yet, as shoppers become increasingly concerned about the environment, fast-fashion retailers face the challenge of keeping their cash cows while adopting new […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2023-10-14T14:32:56+00:00October 15, 2023|Tags: carbon footprint, inventory management, process selection, product design, sustainability|

Panera’s Massive Menu Reduction

Panera Bread is testing a large reduction in the size of its menu. The cuts will include over 50 menu items.

Some of the items being removed are the Napa Almond Chicken Salad, Smokehouse BBQ Chicken, and Steak & White Cheddar sandwiches. In addition, targeted items are two salads, some soups and the Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese, all the soufflés, the entire kids’ menu, several drinks, several sweets and pastries, and all Flatbread Pizzas.

Panera Bread states that this is a […]

By Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.|2023-10-01T06:57:14+00:00October 1, 2023|Tags: efficiency, fast casual restaurants, forecasting, inventory management, product design, supply chain management|

Mixed Forecast for Back-to-School Shopping

Will back-to-school sales be a boom or a bust for retailers this fall?

Forecasters are mixed, as some predict the highest spending ever and some anticipate a modest pull-back. Additionally, if sales increase, is it due to greater demand or simply that prices have increased substantially since last year?

With forecasters uncertain, how are retailers impacted?

Video Spotlight:

Experts warn of expensive back-to-school shopping season (Aug 1, 2023, Good Morning America)
New survey highlights how people […]

By Lisa M. Spencer|2023-08-30T08:04:50+00:00August 30, 2023|Tags: forecasting, inventory management, scheduling, supply chain|

Pickle Wars: Grillo’s Pickles Deals with Stolen Recipe

Grillo’s Pickles traces it recipe origins back over a hundred years to Travis Grillo’s grandfather. The family recipe calls for fresh food using simple, real ingredients.

In 2008, Travis began selling pickles from the trunk of his car—a 1984 Cutlass Supreme—in and around Connecticut and Massachusetts. That same year, he moved to a hand-made cart in Boston.

In 2009, Whole Foods discovered Grillo’s Pickles and added them to a local store. Grillo’s continued to expand, and by 2019, was the number 2 […]

By Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.|2023-08-13T07:03:57+00:00August 13, 2023|Tags: intellectual property, legal issues, outsourcing, risks, sourcing, subcontracting|