Supply Chain & Merchandising

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to see a final surge and set a new monthly record in October as the holiday season approaches, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released late this week by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Family Dollar’s fourth-quarter results were affected by decreased customer traffic, prompting chairman and CEO Howard R. Levine to point out that the company is still in the early stages of its turnaround plan.

Walmart is set to announce its 2015 growth priorities next week and in a clear sign of an accelerating Neighborhood Market rollout, the retailer has created a new organizational structure made up of seasoned operators and accomplished merchants.

Dallas -- EnTouch Controls awarded Corner Bakery Cafe the company’s annual Environmental Sustainability Award for its commitment to energy efficiency. The award is given to businesses that have made a significant positive impact on the environment.

New York -- Amazon plans to open its first-ever physical store, across from the Empire State Building in mid-town Manhattan, the Wall Street Journal reported. It's been rumored for years that the online giant was looking to open brick-and-mortar locations.

GoDaddy, a leading technology provider dedicated to small businesses, is ready to roll out its first online store to the public, after successful beta testing.

The company enlisted Spree Commerce, an open source e-commerce platform, in February to launch the online store in beta. More than 5,000 merchants have opened stores and sold millions of dollars of products and services, all over the world, according to the company.

The GoDaddy Online Store serves small businesses without the technical resources necessary to deploy an e-commerce storefront.

Fred’s CEO Bruce A. Efird is confident about the company’s initiatives to reposition the convenience-center model, expand marketing and implement new technology — all factors that he expects will help restore growth in the fourth quarter and next year.

Efird added that the initiatives are already producing positive results, despite customer traffic remaining a challenge in the company’s markets.

A decrease in same-store sales and losses resulting from Destination Maternity’s continued efforts to close underperforming stores fueled a net sales decline in the fourth quarter — just two months after Anthony Romano came on board as CEO.

Net sales at Destination Maternity dropped 5% to $122 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, from $128.3 million the same quarter a year earlier. Same-store sales, including Internet sales, declined 5%. Sales results were below previously released guidance.