There's a lot of hype about companies moving to the cloud, but are they actually doing it? Cloud adoption is not as rapid as some providers might lead you to think, but TEC data shows that interest in cloud computing is picking up.

So much for the enduring power of big-box brands. On Oct. 31, the owner of Circuit City and CompUSA's brands decided to kill the online remnants of the former chains, redirecting traffic to TigerDirect.com.

To help fuel its rapid geographic expansion, specialty value retailer Five Below has signed the lease for a new distribution center in Olive Branch, Miss. The 600,000 square-foot facility is the retailer's second DC and will allow the company to more quickly and efficiently supply stores in the South and Midwest with its range of products all priced at $5 and below.

Aldata has developed the Aldata Omni-Shopper Suite, an integrated set of software applications aimed at retailers and manufacturers of fast-moving consumer goods.

As Superstorm Sandy blew its devastating winds through much of the Eastern U.S. starting on Halloween, retailers had to deal with it just like everyone else. But few seemed to have anticipated the more than eight days - and more, in some cases - of outages, along with the gas shortages, closed roads, lack of food and water, plus the dead phone lines, lack of internet broadband access and dead cell towers.

Inventory optimization might seem like an old concept, but many companies fail to apply it properly, especially in the area of multi-echelon inventory management. Karin Bursa, vice president of marketing with Logility, details IO's key benefits and challenges.

JustEnough Software, a vendor of demand-management applications for retailers, distributors and brand owners, has launched its new Promotion Management tool.

In terms of logistics, Africa is one of the most exciting investment opportunities anywhere in the world, according to Sub-Saharan Logistics 2012, a report from Transport Intelligence, or Ti. Its untapped natural resources are vast, and foreign direct investment has poured in as Africans' purchasing power grows.