Retail

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.

Minneapolis -- Frank A. (Terry) Savage and Mathew M. Pendo have been elected to the Supervalu board of directors, effective April 24. Savage and Pendo were both appointed to the board as designees of Symphony Investors LLC, under the terms of a tender offer agreement entered into with Symphony Investors and Cerberus Capital Management in connection with Supervalu’s sale of five banners to an affiliate of Symphony Investors.

Miramar, Fla. - Elizabeth Arden has reportedly hired Goldman-Sachs Inc. to help contact private equity firms and other possible buyers. According to Bloomberg, Elizabeth Arden is undergoing a sales process but has not made any definitive deals and may not wind up selling itself.

The move to hire Goldman-Sachs comes after reports indicating that South Korean CPG firm LG Household & Health Care Ltd. was considering a takeover bid for the retailer.

Pittsburgh – GNC Holdings Inc. is launching a new national brand campaign: "Beat Average." The campaign is designed to open a conversation with health-and-wellness consumers about their daily personal wellness goals and how GNC can be their ongoing partner and ally in beating average.

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.

Space Ninety 8, a new concept from Urban Outfitters, has opened in the uber-hip Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. Big and spacious, the multi-level space is located in a renovated warehouse. It has an industrial look, complete with exposed ceilings and brick wall, with lots of boho-chic accents.  

The basement level houses a pop-up, with Adidas originals serving as the inaugural tenant. The space is colorful, with bold, crazy prints (the work of a local artist) accenting the walls and displays.

By Bret Cunningham, president, BestFit Mobile

Dallas — Applebee’s has purchased a one-acre pad in Richardson, Texas, from Leon Capital Group. Venture Commercial Real Estate represented Applebee’s in the transaction.

Venture Commercial’s full-service real estate platform includes landlord and tenant representation, property management, land sales, disposition and income property sales. As the D-FW partner of X Team International, Venture is able to serve its clients on a national scale.