Retail

New York -- The fast-growing online grocery delivery startup Instacart confirmed it has raised $220 million in a funding round led by the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. This latest round of funding values the San Francisco-based company, founded in 2012, at a whopping $2 billion, according to various reports.

Whole Foods Market plans to cater to the health-focused community of obstacle racers with a new omnichannel partnership.

The natural and organic foods supermarket will connect with consumers via Spartan Race’s “Food of the Day” platform, beginning in 2015. Spartan Race is an obstacle racing company that facilitated over 130 races in 17 countries last year.

New York -- A new index called the Price Perception Index provides insight into digital pricing strategies. The index, created by e-commerce startup Bommerang Commerce, measures how retailers optimize prices to attract buyers, compete with other retailers and build their business on a mix of profit margins and volume.

The first Price Perception Index looks at the complex competition between Amazon.com and Walmart.com.

WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. — Tops Friendly Markets, a grocer in upstate New York, northern Pennsylvania and western Vermont, is closing pharmacy departments in 27 of its 162 locations this month and transferring pharmacy prescriptions and inventory to five CVS/Pharmacy and 22 Rite Aid locations near each affected store.

New York -- Footwear retailer and manufacturer Aerosoles has teamed with Digital Management Inc. to enhance its website and deploy an advanced, feature-rich, secure e-commerce website with Responsive Web Design for mobile optimization.

The mobile-optimized e-commerce website and call center are fully integrated with the DMI Order Management System, which synchs with store and warehouse locations for fulfillment.

Strong e-commerce growth and omnichannel contributed to a healthy holiday shopping sales season at Belk.

The nation’s largest family owned and operated fashion department store company reported a 5.2% increase in sales for the nine-week period ending Jan. 3. Same store sales for the same period increased by 4.8%.

New York -- RadioShack could receive another dose of life support. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Salus Capital Partners has offered to provide $500 million to RadioShack Corp. in a kind of debtor-in-possession loan used by companies to fund operations in bankruptcy.

By Jim Singer, A.T. Kearney, and Ryan Mathews, Black Monk Consulting