Strategy

CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- Dollar Tree has announced that it intends to expand its distribution center in Marietta, Oak., by an additional 400,000 sq. ft. More than 100 full time positions will be created as a result of the expansion.

The facility in Marietta opened in 2003 and is currently 603,000 sq. ft. This facility supplies products to stores across eleven states, including all of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, and portions of Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana.

New York -- Starbucks Coffee Co. is one of seven bidders for Tully's Coffee, according to The Seattle Times. The bids were filed on Thursday as part of an auction process for Tully's, which filed for bankruptcy protection in October.

The report said that Starbucks’ offer is for about half of the Tully’s stores. Tully's currently has 47 company-operated stores.
 

SEATTLE — Nordstrom plans to open another new Rack store this spring in Maine as the number of off price locations now exceeds the company’s full price stores.

The approximately 30,000-sq.-ft. store at Maine Crossing Shopping Center will be its first location in the state, and is scheduled to open this spring.

Michael Francis is among 10 top executives Advertising Age has singled out on a list of movers and shakers for 2013.

WASHINGTON -- The National Retail Federation on Wednesday welcomed an agreement reached between the White House and Congress on a plan to avoid the fiscal cliff. The agreement was approved by the Senate early this morning and could be considered by the House as soon as today.


New York City -- Barnes & Noble reported Friday that its holiday sales will likely miss internal projections as its Nook e-reader performed worse than expected during the holiday selling period.

The book seller also disclosed on Friday an investment by London-based media and education company Pearson of $89.5 million in cash in the e-reader subsidiary, representing a 5% equity stake.

Pearson joins Microsoft Inc. as an investor in the Nook subsidiary.

New York City -- A federal mediator announced Friday that the union for longshoremen along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico has agreed to extend its contract for 30 days.

The extension averts a potential strike that could have crippled operations at ports that handle about 40% of all U.S. container cargo, and it comes after the union and an alliance of port operators and shipping lines resolved a royalty payment issue that had held up contract resolution. Exact terms have not been made public.

NEW YORK & LONDON — Nook Media, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, has teamed up with Pearson, a leading global learning company, to accelerate customer access to digital content.