Supply Chain & Merchandising

Service and having products in stock proved to be much more important than price this holiday season, says a recent survey of U.S. holiday shoppers by the tax firm KPMG. This

Saddle Creek Transportation Inc. offers additional inbound and outbound capacity for shipments through Saddle Creek Transportation Services, a newly formed division.

SmartOps Corporation announces that its Multistage Inventory Planning and Optimization (MIPO) solution is endorsed by SAP AG. SAP-endorsed business solutions are complementary to SAP software offerings, are developed in accordance with SAP development guidelines, and provide additional choices and flexibility for businesses running SAP software.

Circuit City chooses the TradeStone Suite to help unify its global sourcing processes and expand its private label offerings.

THE MERGER AND ACQUISITION (M&A) trend continued through 2006, impacting a large number of technology providers that service the consumer goods (CG) industry.

While this year's Readers' Choice Awards span 12 solution and service categories, some companies do not fit snugly into any one category.

7-Eleven Inc. announces winners of its 2006 Retailer Initiative Awards, which formally recognize those suppliers that excelled at helping 7-Eleven meet its convenience customers' changing needs through team merchandising, demandchain solutions, cost of goods, category management and contributing to creative advertising and promotional programs.

Retailers are challenged to be ever more responsive to consumer demand. Strategies, like customer-centricity and multi-channel convergence, put pressure on instore inventory, which then pressures the consumer goods supply chain to perform flawlessly.