Supply Chain & Merchandising

Walmart opened a dedicated online fulfillment center in Fort Worth this week and said its largest facility ever will open next spring in Bethlehem, Pa.

Dallas – Neiman Marcus Group is offering free standard shipping and returns for all domestic purchases made online through Neimanmarcus.com and Bergdorfgoodman.com as well as Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman stores.

"The customer has always been at the center of the Neiman Marcus business model. Permanent free shipping and returns have been a top request and we are happy to be able to make this change just in time for the holiday shopping season." said Wanda Gierhart, chief marketing officer, Neiman Marcus Group.

Seattle -- Amazon.com announced plans to add more than 70,000 full-time seasonal jobs in its U.S. fulfillment centers this holiday season, a 40% increase rise over last year. The company said it hopes to eventually convert many of those temporary seasonal opportunities into permanent roles.

ConAgra has appointed Thomas “Tony” K. Brown to its board of directors, effective Oct. 15. With the addition of Brown, ConAgra’s board has increased to 12. 

New York -- American Realty Capital – Retail Centers of America, Inc. ("ARC Retail") closed its acquisition of the Tiffany Springs MarketCenter, located in Kansas City, Mo., on Sept. 26, for a contract price of $53.5 million, exclusive of closing costs. The purchase of the Tiffany Springs MarketCenter represents ARC Retail's third acquisition of a retail power center with multiple credit tenants.

San Bruno, Calif. -- Walmart announced it is opening two new warehouses dedicated to filling online orders, one in Fort Worth, Texas, and one in Bethlehem, Pa., which will be its largest center to date. The new facilities are part of a next-generation fulfillment network that the retailer said will deliver U.S. customer orders faster and at a lower cost.

Walgreens filled a record 821 million prescriptions which helped boost the company’s retail pharmacy market share for the fiscal year to 19.1%. 

Walgreens posted a sales gain of 0.8% for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, reaching a record $72.2 billion. Early morning trading boosted Walgreens' share price from a close of $53.80 on Monday to $56.06, an increase of 4.2%.

Chicago -- SMS Assist announced it has appointed Geoffrey Wigner as executive VP of facilities for the Chicago-based technology-driven facilities maintenance and management company.