Distribution

Ahold USA on Wednesday announced net sales of $26.4 billion for the full year of 2015, an increase of 1.4%.

Ahold USA successfully converted the 25 acquired former A&P stores during the quarter. Identical sales excluding gas were up 1.6%, positively affected by competitor store closures in the New York Metro market. Market share for the fourth quarter and full year increased compared to last year, as the chain added a net 20 stores in 2015 to 788 locations.

Walmart said it will close 269 stores worldwide this year, including many of its smallest stores, in an unprecedented move CEO Doug McMillon characterized as being more disciplined about growth.

Plymouth Meeting, Pa. -- Metro Commercial Real Estate announced it has negotiated 10 new store openings for The Vitamin Shoppe in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The Vitamin Shoppe, is a leading multichannel specialty retailer and contract manufacturer of nutritional products with 700+ stores throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada.

The Vitamin Shoppe Pennsylvania locations: Chadds Ford, Fairless Hills, Feasterville, Lancaster, Paoli, Philadelphia, Dickson City/Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.

Amazon is on track to acquire the 75% of the French package-delivery company Colis Privé that it doesn’t already own during the first quartet, according to the Seattle Times. Some analysts believe it’s only the beginning of a move by the Internet giant to eventually launch a package-delivery service that will one day compete with UPS, FedEx and others. [Seattle Times]

Supervalu wants to unlock the value of its Save-A-Lot division with a planned spinoff, but the 1,336 store division did little to enhance its appeal to investors with a weak showing in the third quarter.

JDA Software Group Inc. is releasing enhancements to its warehouse management solution designed to make it more accessible and responsive to real-time, omnichannel supply chain needs.

To maximize accessibility of warehouse management, JDA is embedding mobility into all aspects of the solution. Thus employees can use the application in any location without a workstation. This allows managers to track and observe employees executing their work on the floor, while allowing warehouse associates to accomplish tasks using touchscreens and visual guides on the floor.

Walmart’s U.K. subsidiary Asda is expanding what customers can do with in-store pickup and return through its new service called toyou.

After years of hard work and success, Amazon.com has finally gained admittance to an elite Ivy League campus.

Amazon plans to open Amazon@Penn, a new staffed package pickup point to be opened on the University of Pennsylvania campus. The first such facility at an Ivy League university, Amazon@Penn will offer a location for Penn students to pick up and return their Amazon orders.

CST Brands is not a household name in the retail industry, but it is fast becoming one. The company has ambitious plans to grow through new store construction and acquisitions and just made several key executive moves to help make things happen.

Brookstone kicked off the new year by opening a store in one of the largest retail shopping centers in Nanjing, China. Additionally, the retailer opened three in-store shops in Funtalk Telecommunication's locations in Beijing and Shanghai.

After its initial entry into China, Brookstone will pursue a strategy to open up independent shops in airports and high-speed railway stations, according to Piau Phang Foo, global VP of the Sanpower Group and chairman of Brookstone. (The Sanpower Group, a multi-national conglomerate based in China, acquired Brookstone in 2014).