Logistics

Washington, D.C. — Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 3.6% in August 2015 from the same month in 2014 as retailers begin to bring in merchandise for the holiday season. According to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates, imports for the year are expected to be up 4.2% from 2014.

New York -- The founder of the now defunct same-day delivery service Webvan is back — this time with a robot-powered would-be competitor to Amazon Prime, reports ReCode.  

Louis Borders is developing a $99 shopping club that plans to offer same-day delivery of groceries and other merchandise from participating retailers. But it’s the back-end of the operation that is so interesting.

Hangzhou, China – The apparel selection on Alibaba Group’s Tmall.com third-party marketplace is getting a lot bigger.

Tmall has formed strategic partnerships with more than 160 brands from 110 global apparel chains.  It will work with apparel brands in areas of new product launches, online-to-offline initiatives, data-driven operations, digital marketing campaigns and other services to enhance consumer shopping experiences.

Grand Rapids, Mich. -- Meijer is on the move in Wisconsin.  

Continuing an estimated $750 million investment in Wisconsin, Meijer on Tuesday opened two more superstores in the state. The retailer announced plans to open two to three new Wisconsin locations per year through 2019.

Meijer, which now operates 222 stores, entered Wisconsin just six weeks ago, with two stores. The retailer traditionally focused its growth on five states: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky.

Marshfield, Mass. -- Brixmor Property Group has acquired Webster Square, an 182,756-sq.-ft., grocery-anchored community center located on Boston’s South Shore. Cushman & Wakefield oversaw the transaction of the Star Market-anchored community shopping center on behalf of Curtis Management.

Cincinnati - Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s are stepping up their efforts to get online goods delivered to shoppers faster than ever.
The department store company is expanding same-day delivery service to nine additional markets beginning this month. Both Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s are partnering with third-party delivery service Deliv to offer same-day delivery on products purchased online at macys.com, Bloomingdales.com, and on both brands’ mobile-enabled websites.

Palm Coast, Fla. -- A transformation is underway. Branch Properties is in the midst of a $40.8 million redevelopment of the largest (and oldest) retail shopping center in Palm Coast, Florida.

Island Walk, once called Palm Harbor Shopping Center, is a 204,000-sq.-ft. center anchored by Publix Super Markets. Once completed in 2016, the upgraded retail destination will bring new and expanded tenants and amenities to the Palm Coast community in an effort to revitalize the city’s original core.  

Montvale, N.J. -- Benjamin Moore has opened a 90,000-sq.-ft. state-of the-art distribution space in the Landover Logistics Center in Landover, Maryland.

The new LEED-certified (Silver) center will accommodate expansion and enhance service in the fast-growing Mid-Atlantic and Southeast markets, as well as support distribution of an expanded line of Benjamin Moore & Co. latex products.