Strategy

Washington, D.C. -- Import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to grow 1.8% in December, compared to the same month last year, and the year should end with an increase of 2.3% from 2012. According to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates, U.S. ports followed by Global Port Tracker handled 1.43 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU) in October, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available.

The WhiteWave Foods Company, a leading consumer packaged food and beverage company in North America and Europe, plans to acquire Earthbound Farm, a leading organic food brand, from its existing shareholders led by Kainos Capital and founders Drew & Myra Goodman, for approximately $600 million in cash.

Phoenix — CBRE has completed the sale of a single tenant net leased Kohl’s department store at the Alameda Crossing shopping center in Avondale, Ariz. The 88,402-sq.-ft. retail property on 8.89 acres commanded a price of $10.6 million.

CBRE’s Phoenix office represented both the buy and the seller in the transaction. The seller was La Jolla, Calif.-based Collins Family Trust, Stanford Decedents Trust and Sarn Family Trust. The buyer was Investors Associated LLP of Oconomowoc, Wis.

Giant Eagle, Rite Aid, ExxonMobil and Kum & Go are among the growing number of merchants to become members of the Merchant Customer Exchange’s group, which is made up of leading merchants dedicated to improving the shopping experience by offering consumers a widely accepted, customer-focused and secure mobile commerce platform.

With these new member additions, more than 50 merchants are now part of MCX, representing more than 100,000 locations and more than $1 trillion in payments annually.

Dead Sea mineral-based skin care brand Ahava has appointed Beth Ann Catalano as president of Ahava North America, effective Jan. 1, 2014. Catalano succeeds Elana Drell-Szyfer, who recently joined the ranks at Kenneth Cole Productions.

Seattle – Amazon.com is reportedly using robots from Kiva Systems at three distribution centers. According to the Wall Street Journal, the robots bring merchandise from shelves to warehouse workers and can potentially reduce the cost of filling an order by 20% to 40%, for an annual savings of more than $900 million.

Amazon purchased Kiva for $775 million in March 2012 and according to a recent financial disclosure now has 1,400 Kiva robots in service helping fulfill orders. The retailer declined to comment on the project.

Arlington, Va. – Supermarket industry trade group Food Marketing Institute (FMI) will exclusively endorse and encourage the use of ReposiTrak among its food retail and wholesale members.

Under a new joint agreement, ReposiTrak will be the exclusive solution provider endorsed by FMI in connection with the food and drug safety traceability of goods and related services, including document management. FMI will introduce ReposiTrak to its members, which operate nearly 40,000 stores and 25,000 pharmacies.

The once bankrupt and liquidated retailer Linens ‘n Things is poised for a comeback following an acquisition of the brand by Galaxy Brand Holdings.