Distribution

Amazon.com is planning to open a fifth fulfillment center in the state of Texas.

In Texas, Amazon currently employs more than 3,500 full-time associates, has invested more than $400 million in the state and continues to grow its operations to meet customer demand. Amazon’s other Lone Star State fulfillment centers are located in Schertz, Coppell, and Haslet, with a fourth facility under construction in Dallas.

Seattle – Texas is known for its wide open spaces, and Amazon.com Inc. is slowly filling them in with distribution centers. Amazon plans to open a fifth Texas fulfillment center in San Marcos.

Amazon employees at the 855,000 sq.-ft. San Marcos fulfillment center will pick, pack, and ship smaller customer items, such as books, electronics and toys.

Foot Locker Inc. continues to cash in on the trend toward wearing fashionable active apparel, as the company reported impressive sales and earnings growth in its latest quarter.

For the second quarter ended Aug. 1, the retailer posted net income of $119 million, or 84 cents per share, compared with net income of $92 million, or 63 cents per share, last year, a 33% increase. Same store sales increased 9.6%. Total sales increased 3.3%, to $1,695 million this year, compared with sales of $1,641 million for the corresponding prior-year period.  

Chicago - Lawn fertilizer, grass and weed killer, and propane grills were the top three categories driving small-scale growth at True Value Co. during the second quarter of fiscal 2015.

The company reported gross billings of $573.6 million for the quarter ended July 4, up 1% from the same period a year ago. Revenue was $431.9 million, an increase of 0.6% or $2.4 million. The cooperative posted a quarterly net margin of $9.3 million.

Staples says the $6.3 billion deal to buy rival Office Depot is still on track despite the retailer’s deepening sales declines in the second quarter.

St. Petersburg, Fla. – A surprisingly small number of consumers makes or breaks new CPG products. According to a study from personalized digital media company Catalina, less than 1% of consumers drive the vast majority of volume for most new CPG products.

CPG marketers bringing a new product to market don't need to break the bank on a national ad campaign, according to a new study from Catalina. But they do need to idenfity and market to the small number of early adopters.

Framingham, Mass. – Staples Inc. met Wall Street expectations with declining profit in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. Costs related to restructuring and the pending acquisition of Office Depot drove net income down 56% to $36 million, from $82 million in the second quarter of the previous fiscal year.

Net sales fell 5% to $4.94 billion, from $5.22 billion. North American store closures and unfavorable foreign exchange rates pushed sales totals downward. Same-store sales in North America (including online) fell 3%.