Distribution

Santa Fe Springs, Calif. -- Sona Enterprises, a direct wholesaler/distributor of more than 3,000 SKUs to gift shops, travel agencies, camping and hiking outfitters, auto dealerships/parts stores/repair shops, jewelry and convenience stores, has improved upon manual warehouse management procedures using the AcellosOne warehouse management system (WMS).

New York -- A Thursday report by Reuters said that RadioShack is considering bringing in a financial advisor to guide the struggling chain toward managing its looming debts and spiraling sales.

According to the report, which cited unidentified sources, RadioShack will hear pitches from financial advisers in the coming weeks, looking for the right fit to deal with $216.4 million in convertible notes coming due August 1, as well as falling sales capped off by a 7.6% drop in the first quarter of 2013.

Virginia Beach, Va. -- Destination Maternity Corp. has leased 5,033 sq. ft. for a new flagship store in The Town Center of Virginia Beach, according to Divaris Real Estate.

Motherhood Maternity will close all of its locations in Southside Hampton Roads and move into the new Destination Maternity in September. The new store will carry all of the retailers concepts including Motherhood Maternity and A Pea in the Pod.

Altoona, Pa. -- Sheetz Convenience Restaurants said it broke ground Thursday on a new distribution and production center in Burlington, N.C.

The 44-acre site will include a Sheetz Bros. kitchen bakery, distribution and warehousing center for the Sheetz distribution fleet, and also will provide space for various other corporate support departments.

Brussels, Belgium -- Belgian grocer Delhaize Group said that it has reached an agreement to sell 25 Maxi, Mini Maxi, and Tempo stores in Montenegro to Expo Commerce.

The transaction is slated to close in the fourth quarter, and Delhaize and Expo will enter into a franchise agreement to maintain the Maxi, Mini Maxi and Tempo names.

New York -- Uniqlo is expanding its U.S. footprint. The Japanese apparel retailer, a division of Fast Company, will open 10 more U.S. stores this fall, in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and California.
 
The new locations, all in shopping centers, will bring the brand’s presence in the United States to a total of 17 sites.

The 10 new Uniqlo locations include:

New York -- Foot Locker said that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Runners Point Group, the specialty athletic store and online retailer based in Recklinghausen, Germany. The results of the two companies will be combined with an effective date of July 7, 2013.

Runners Point Group operates more than 200 athletic retail stores, principally in Germany under the Runners Point and Sidestep banners, as well as an online business. It had sales in 2012 of $254 million.

Washington, D.C. -- Import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase a modest 1.1% in July over the same month last year, but a slow summer should be followed by significant increases as retailers head into the holiday season this fall, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released Wednesday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.


Seattle -- Nordstrom plans to open a third Houston-area Nordstrom Rack location. The approximately 38,000-sq.-ft. store is scheduled to open in fall 2014, at Willowbrook Mall is owned and managed by General Growth Properties  

"We've been looking for opportunities to better serve Houston customers as we continue to grow," said Geevy Thomas, president of Nordstrom Rack.

West Bridgewater, Mass. -- Shaw’s plans to close six stores operating under its namesake banner by Aug. 3. The locations targeted for shuttering include four stores in the Massachusetts towns of Fall River, Fairhaven, Stoughton, and Taunton and two stores in the Rhode Island towns of Westerly and Woonsocket.