Richmond

Federal authorities want to know where all that cheap wood at Lumber Liquidators comes from. On Thursday, the discount hardwood flooring retailer's headquarters in Toano, Va., and another location in Richmond, Va., were raided by special agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations unit, together with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Justice Department. The agents were looking for evidence the company had imported wood products from forests in far eastern Russian that are home to the endangered Siberian tiger.

SHARE: Email Print LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Ikea Canada next month plans to open a new store boasting numerous environmental features including a geothermal installation, rainwater harvesting and solar power. Scheduled to open April 25, the Richmond, Canada location also features one tree planted for every six parking spaces, and the rooftop of the store will have an edible garden according to a report by World interior Design Network (WIDN). To facilitate rainwater reclamation, Ikea installed pavement with a permeable surface. Other environmental elements include a highly reflective rooftop to reduce solar heat absorption in the summer, LED lighting, 76

Amazon.com announced plans to open two fulfillment centers in Virginia, investing a total of $135 million. The company said it will invest $85 million and create more than 1,000 jobs in Chesterfield County, and invest $50 million in Dinwiddie County, creating more than 350 jobs.

Our entire interview with industry veteran Brendan Edgerton, including what he believes the catalog industry must do to remain relevant in these uncertain times

Edited by Donna Loyle Two industry veterans share their insights on how to best leverage operational benchmarks and best practices. A catalog executive suffers from no shortage of metrics to watch for: from average order value to e-mail inquiry turnaround times to indirect labor costs to number of calls answered in 20 seconds or less. The real questions, though, are how to use the numbers, and if the metrics even are appropriate to track for your operations. Comparing operations solely on numbers can be misleading. Is it better to establish a set of best practices and then hold your staff accountable to them?

Edited by Donna Loyle Two industry veterans share their insights on how to best leverage operational benchmarks and best practices. A catalog executive suffers from no shortage of metrics to watch for: from average order value to e-mail inquiry turnaround times to indirect labor costs to number of calls answered in 20 seconds or less. The real questions, though, are how to use the numbers, and if the metrics even are appropriate to track for your operations. Comparing operations solely on numbers can be misleading. Is it better to establish a set of best practices and then hold your staff accountable to them?