Distribution

Des Moines, Iowa -- Kum & Go and Casey’s General Stores announced that they have signed an agreement for Casey’s to acquire 22 convenience stores from Kum & Go.

The stores are located in Iowa, Missouri and North Dakota.

Bangladesh, India -- A Tuesday report by Reuters said that the Indian joint venture of Wal-Mart Stores and Bharti Enterprises has announced plans to open three to five cash-and-carry/wholesale stores in India by the end of the year.

The partnership currently operates 17 wholesale stores in India. 

Foreign ownership regulations in India do not allow global hypermarket and supermarket chains to open retail stores in the country, but they are allowed to operate wholesale operations.

Washington, D.C. -- Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 8.5% in September compared with the same month last year, and strong increases are expected into the holiday season despite talk of a possible strike at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

WASHINGTON — Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 8.5% in September compared with the same month last year, and strong increases are expected into the holiday season despite talk of a possible strike at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

MALLE, Belgium — Belgium-based cleaning brand Ecover, said it has created the world's argest green cleaning product company with the acquisition of San Francisco-based Method.

The acquisition will expand Ecover's distribution network across Europe, the United States, Asia and Australia. Collectively delivering sales of $200 million and employing around 300 staff, Ecover and Method will continue as separate brands with a shared ambition to bring as many new consumers as possible into the green cleaning and personal care market, the company said.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. announced Friday that it will open its first standalone store in Mexico, part of the retailer’s previously announced global expansion strategy.

The new store, to be located at Interlomas Mall outside Mexico City, expands on Gap’s store-in-store concepts in Liverpool Department stores in the region.

Minneapolis -- Supervalu announced Wednesday it will close about 60 underperforming or nonstrategic stores in fiscal 2012. The closings include 22 Save-A-Lot locations, 27 Albertsons stores, four Acme stores and one previously announced Jewel-Osco.

The majority of the stores are expected to close before Dec. 1, which marks the end of the company’s fiscal 2013 third quarter.

MINNEAPOLIS — Supervalu is closing approximately 60 stores as the company moves forward with its turnaround plans. The company will shutter 38 stores in its retail food reporting segment and 22 Save-A-Lot locations. The majority of the stores are expected to close before Dec. 1, the end of the company’s fiscal 2013 third quarter.