Distribution

Overstock.com’s growing Club O rewards program helped to drive 18% revenue growth and $3.5 million in net income for the third quarter ended Sept. 30.

Lowe’s has launched a dedicated fleet of natural gas-powered trucks at its regional distribution center in Mount Vernon, Texas. Lowe's dedicated fleet at Mount Vernon is among the first serving a major retail distribution center in North America to run solely on natural gas.

With the transition from a diesel-fueled fleet to trucks powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), Lowe's expects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions nearly 20% and control fuel costs as it transports up to 68 truckloads each day to stores in Texas, La. and Okla.

Walmart said its worldwide capital expenditure budget for the 2014 will range between $11.8 billion and $12.8 billion, roughly $200 million less than the company expects to spend during the current year, even as it adds more selling space.

St. George, Utah -- Family Dollar on Wednesday the grand opening of its 11th distribution center, in St. George, Utah.
 
“Opening our 11th distribution center is an important milestone for us,” said Howard Levine, Family Dollar’s chairman and CEO. “This facility is ideally located to support our growth in the West, helping us keep our stores well-stocked as we continue to provide customers in this region with great value and convenience.”

Roanoke, Va. -- Advance Auto Parts will acquire General Parts International, a privately held parts maker. The all-cash deal has an enterprise value of $2.04 billion.

Based in Raleigh, N.C., General Parts, which owns the Carquest brand, has 1,246 company operated stores in North America. It also operates 1,418 independently owned Carquest locations primarily in the United States and Canada.

Bentonville, Ark. – Kenyan retailer Naivas reportedly will not sell a controlling interest in the company to Wal-Mart’s South African subsidiary Massmart. According to Reuters, a Naivas executive said the retailer no longer plans to sell 50% plus one share of its stock to Massmart.

North Bergen, N.J. – Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. has opened a new 311,740-sq.-ft. distribution center in Ashland, Va. The center began receiving inbound inventory in June 2013 and outbound shipments to stores began in September 2013.

As of October 15, 2013, the center was shipping inventory to 56 Vitamin Shoppe stores located in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Louisiana. The center, which was built to the Vitamin Shoppe's specifications, features state-of-the art conveyor and picking and packing systems to move goods and orders throughout the facility.

Advance Auto Parts plans to acquire General Parts International in an all-cash transaction worth $2.04 billion. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

General Parts International is a leading privately held distributor and supplier of original equipment and aftermarket replacement products for commercial markets operating under the Carquest and Worldpac brands.

The Vitamin Shoppe has announced the grand opening of a new distribution center in Ashland, Va., which positions the company for future growth. The new 311,740-sq.-ft. facility began receiving inbound inventory in June and outbound shipments to stores began in September.

New York -- Thirty-One Gifts, one of America’s largest direct-selling companies, has chosen TXT Maple Lake to assist in managing its retail processes. Using TXT’s integrated retail planning solution, TXT will manage the whole spectrum of Thirty-One’s forecasting, merchandise, assortment and inventory management.