Supply Chain & Merchandising

Framingham, Mass. – Staples Inc., famous for the “easy button,” is partnering with UPS to ease the shipment of UPS packages from any U.S. store location. Customers now can charge the cost of shipments at Staples to their UPS account, which means they don't have to prepare labels ahead of time and will see the invoice, and any customized rates, on their regular UPS invoice.

Canton, Mass. – “California, I’ll be knocking on the golden door.” Dunkin’ Donuts executives may find themselves singing these words from the Grateful Dead classic “Estimated Prophet” as the coffee retailer pursues a massive expansion strategy in the most populated U.S. state.

Hoboken, N.J. – The countdown is on for the latest competitor to Amazon.com to take off. Jet.com, which hopes to compete with the Amazon Prime membership service using “profit-free” pricing, has an online clock on its homepage counting down to launch at 6 a.m. ET on Tuesday, July 21.

Fast-growing grocery delivery service Instacart is expanding a program that lets some contract workers become part-time employees.

The online grocery delivery service is now offering its contractor in-store shoppers in Houston and Austin, Texas, the option of applying for new employee roles with expanded responsibilities.

Quincy, Mass. – The sell-off of stores from the newly bankrupt Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. (A&P) has begun. The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. LLC has entered into an agreement with A&P to acquire 25 A&P stores in greater New York for $146 million.

In the e-commerce fight between China's Alibaba and JD.com, Taylor Swift has declared a winner.

The pop superstar announced that JD.com will be the official online source of Taylor Swift items in China, including a new fashion line the music superstar designed specifically for the Chinese market. 

Montvale, N.J. – The rumors are true. As expected, the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Inc. (A&P) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

In a brief statement on its website, privately held A&P says it has secured financing of $100 million and voluntarily filed for chapter. A&P has also entered agreements to sell 120 stores for $600 million and will close more of its 296 stores in the near future.

Cincinnati — The Kroger Co. is sustaining efforts to be more environmentally sound and humane in its business practices.

The grocery giant released its 2015 sustainability report, which included 33,000 tons of waste recycled at 1.061 stores in 2015, a 12% year-over-year increase.

Other highlights from the report include: