Walmart

Top executives within Walmart’s international division have been assigned new responsibilities including a new role for the former head of Asian operations overseeing mergers and acquisitions.

Hong Kong -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is changing the management structure of its Asia operation with a series of promotions. Scott Price, currently president and CEO of Walmart Asia, will move to a senior management role as executive VP, international strategy and development, real estate, mergers and acquisitions, integration and purchase leverage, based at Wal-Mart's world headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Knoxville, Tenn. — Four new retailers have signed leases with University Commons, a new retail center adjacent to the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, Tenn. The property’s developer, CHM, made the announcement.

The newly signed retailers are Fresh To Order, a fast-fine restaurant concept; Blush Boutique, an affordable-fashion concept; Great Clips, the chain’s twentieth Knoxville-area shop; and Jersey Mike’s, the fast casual submarine sandwich franchise.

Seattle – Amazon.com is reportedly piloting an in-house delivery service that would use trucks driven by Amazon-hired contractors to deliver packages from area distribution centers to customer homes. According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon.com is testing the service in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York.

The service could potentially reduce shipping times and costs and also enable same-day shipping. It is also seen as a direct competitive move against UPS, as well as Wal-Mart, EBay and Google.

Miami Gardens, Fla. — Demolition has begun at Palmetto Gardens Plaza, a 7.1-acre shopping center site in Miami Gardens, Fla. The site is being prepared for the development of a 63,000-sq.-ft. shopping center that will include a 41,000-sq.-ft. Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market and an additional inline and outparcel space of 20,000 sq. ft. — now available for lease.

Westlake Village, Calif. -- Paint retailers with well-trained staffers will drive a more positive purchase experience, this according to the J.D. Power 2014 Paint Satisfaction Study.

Former Walmart CEO Lee Scott and Audit Committee chairman Christopher Williams leave some big shoes to fill when they step down from the retailer’s board in June.

Beachwood, Ohio -- Shopping center owner DDR Corp. has installed the third Tesla Supercharger station in its portfolio; the newest Supercharger station is located at Hamilton Marketplace in Hamilton, New Jersey, and represents the third state where a flagship Supercharger station has been activated at a DDR shopping center, following Virginia and Ohio.

Based on current conversations, the relationship could expand to several more locations across the country by year-end, according to DDR.