Distribution

Under Armour on Tuesday reported a drop in profit for the second quarter, related to the closing of The Sports Authority. The athletic wear brand also revealed plans to plant its banner on prime real estate in Manhattan.    

The Dallas area is getting its sixth Nordstrom Rack store.   Nordstrom said it will open a Nordstrom Rack at The Centre at Preston Ridge in Frisco, Texas. The approximately 33,000-sq.-ft. store is scheduled to open in fall 2017. The property is owned by Brixmor Property Group.  

The Federal Trade Commission has given its blessing to a deal that creates the fourth largest supermarket company in the United States.   Delhaize Group, owner of Food Lion, and Royal Ahold NV, owner of Stop & Shop, on Sunday completed their $29 billion merger after they received regulatory clearance by the Federal Trade Commission.   

Amazon.com is continuing its rapid pace of distribution infrastructure expansion with a planned new center in Houston.   The 855,000-sq.-ft. fulfillment center will employ more than 1,000 full-time workers. Employees will pick, pack and ship smaller customer items, such as books, electronics and toys.  

The Kroger Co. is expanding its position in the pharmacy vertical.   Axium Pharmacy Holdings Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kroger, will acquire Orlando, Florida-based specialty pharmacy retailer ModernHealth. Financial terms of the agreement with ModernHealth parent company ModernHC Holdings Inc. were not disclosed.   The deal will create a combined specialty pharmacy that will operate as a wholly-owned Kroger subsidiary.  

Even geeks appreciate the convenience and hands-on experience of visiting a physical store.   Recognizing the continuing popularity of brick-and-mortar, specialty video game retailer GameStop Corp. has been extending its pure-play ThinkGeek banner into physical stores. GameStop purchased ThinkGeek parent company GeekNet Inc. in 2015. ThinkGeek specializes in selling “loot,” or collectible items and memorabilia, rather than video games.  

At least one retail industry participant is expecting the 2016 holiday season to be prosperous.   Omnichannel commerce technology and services provider Radial plans to hire an additional 550 workers in Reno, Nevada to support an expected 10-fold increase in demand during the upcoming holiday season. Radial operates fulfillment centers in Reno, which are in need of workers to help support its retail clients.  

A veteran of Apple has been named as the new senior VP in charge of global logistics, inventory allocation and replenishment at Target.   Ben Cook will lead the optimization of Target’s inbound and outbound supply chain processes, including carrier transportation and last-mile delivery. He’ll also oversee inventory allocation and replenishment, merchandise planning operations and global logistics. He will report to Target’s executive vice president and chief supply chain and logistics officer, Arthur Valdez.