Corporate Governance

Is Amazon looking for a supermarket partner in Europe?   Privately held French supermarket operator Leclerc has been approached by Amazon over possible logistics partnerships, reported Reuters.    “Yes, we have been approached by Amazon,” Michel-Edouard Leclerc, who heads the company, told Reuters.   

Commercial real estate developers and investors surveyed this summer by the DLA Piper law firm concurred that reports of the demise of brick-and-mortar are greatly exaggerated.   Only 8% of the 222 respondents to the survey, most of them C-level executives, agreed with the statement that brick-and-mortar is “doomed.” That said, just 3% were of the opinion that traditional retail was here to say.  

Ikea is entering new territory.   The retailer will open a store on Oct. 11, in Fishers, Indiana. It will be Swedish company’s first location in Indiana, 45th in the United States, and 408th worldwide.    The 289,000-sq.-ft. Ikea includes one of Indiana’s largest solar rooftops, as well as three electric vehicle charging stations. Ninety percent of Ikea U.S. stores have a solar presence.   

Online-only retailers may be taking a toll on omnichannel companies, but traditional companies are finding ways to fight back.   This was according to “Brick-and-Mortar Retailers Fight Back: Winning Strategies to Compete with Online-Only Players,” a report from Applied Predictive Technologies (APT).  

It was an urban retail real estate broker’s dream: five blocks of Main Street storefront — almost 250,000 sq. ft. of it — sandwiched between beachfront and commercial business district. That’s what the owners of most of five contiguous blocks on Fort Lauderdale’s Las Olas Boulevard plopped on the plate of Michael Comras.  

Uniqlo is opening a shop in one of the nation's most historic train stations.    The retailer will open its newest U.S. outpost on Oct. 10, at Union Station in Washington, D.C. It will be located on the main level, adjacent to Amtrak ticketing, and will open at 7 a.m. during the week to serve morning commuters.  

Walmart is determined not to be bested by Amazon when it comes to same-day delivery.   The discounter announced on Tuesday that it has acquired Parcel, a last-mile delivery startup that specializes in delivery of perishable items and general merchandise to customers in New York City. Operating out of a warehouse in Brooklyn, Parcel delivers goods the same-day, overnight and in scheduled two-hour windows, providing customers with live updates via text messages throughout the delivery process.   

Amazon is exploring its next grocery opportunity — but not in the United States.    The online giant is looking for physical store locations in France, especially Paris. French newspaper Le Monde, which first broke the story, said Amazon has approached various French supermarket operators — including Groupe Casino, Intermarche and Systeme U — about setting up distribution deals or making an acquisition in the country, according to CNBC.