Distribution

New York -- Ritz Camera & Image has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. As part of its restructuring, the company, which has 265 stores in 34 states, plans to close 128 locations and cut its staff of 2,000 in half.

This is the second time Ritz has sought protection under the bankruptcy laws, having emerged from Chapter 11 two years ago.

SECAUCUS, N.J. — The Children's Place Retail Stores is expanding its presence in the Middle East with franchise agreements to open stores in the Arab Gulf States of United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman as well as Saudi Arabia. The first stores are scheduled to open in the UAE in September 2012 in Dubai and Sharjah. The first two stores in Saudi Arabia are scheduled to open during the second quarter of 2012.

The timing of store openings in Mexico and Central America will be delayed by as much as 90 days due to what the company described as “process changes” that will increase the time required to open a store.

Wal-Mart de Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V. in an update to its expansion program disclosed to the Mexican Stock Exchange that it contemplated completing its 2012 expansion program 60 to 90 days later than originally planned. As a result new store openings for the current year will now range between 325 and 335 units.

The timing of store openings in Mexico and Central America will be delayed by as much as 90 days due to what the company described as “process changes” that will increase the time required to open a store.

Wal-Mart de Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V. in an update to its expansion program disclosed to the Mexican Stock Exchange that it contemplated completing its 2012 expansion program 60 to 90 days later than originally planned. As a result new store openings for the current year will now range between 325 and 335 units.

Wallingford, Conn. -- Edible Arrangements announced on Friday a strategic partnership with private equity firm Catterton Partners, which includes a capital investment toward expanding the Edible Arrangements brand globally. 

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

In addition, Edible Arrangements founder and CEO Tariq Farid said that Catterton Partners brings significant resources in areas from strategy to customer relations to supply chain management, which will accelerate the company's ability to reach new levels of growth.

UNION, N.J. — The growth prospects of the nation’s leading home goods retailer is being questioned following a solid first quarter performance and weaker-than-expected outlook.

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Von Mauer may not be a household name in the retail world, but the Davenport, Iowa-based department store chain must be doing something right with its online business.

Davenport, Iowa -- Department store retailer Von Maur said Thursday it has begun construction on an expansion of its e-commerce fulfillment center to support continued growth in its web presence.

Projected for completion in October 2012, the expansion will add an additional 73,000 sq. ft. to the company's current 46,000-sq.-ft. center in Davenport, Iowa.

The Container Store credits its “employees-first” culture as integral to its success, believing that if you make employees your highest priority, they in turn will take better care of customers. It’s a business model that extends to all facets of the chain’s operations — including the decision to deploy a voice-directed warehouse picking system.

New York -- The Home Depot plans to spend $1.3 billion on new technology and $700 million to build 36 new stores from 2013-15, according to a report by Investors Daily.

The report was based on remarks chain’s senior VP finance, Ted Decker, made Tuesday at Jefferies Global Consumer Conference.

Decker also said the company plans to build “new state-of-the-art distribution facilities” to leverage its stores.