Retail

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 20-ft. Equivalent Units (TEU) in October, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available.

New York -- Stuart Weitzman, the luxury footwear brand owned by The Jones Group Inc., has appointed Francois Kress to the newly created position of global president.

Kress, formerly president and chief operating officer of The Row (New York), will oversee all aspects of the Weitzman brand’s global retail and wholesale business and he will assume the role of strategic leader for new initiatives and brand extensions.

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.

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.

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.

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 holiday deals started earlier this year and all signs are pointing to a robust shopping season for retail. But what did consumers really think about Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Were they braving the lines with high spirits or counting down for discounts they could nab at home? More importantly, what were they looking for — and where?

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.