Logistics

Atlanta - The Home Depot Inc. is spending about $1.6 billion in an acquisition squarely aimed at better meeting the needs of its professional customers.

The retailer is purchasing Jacksonville, Florida-based Interline Brands Inc., a national distributor and direct marketer of broad-line maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products.

New York – There is no shortage of retailers treading on different pieces of retail turf dominated by Amazon.com, and Macy’s is reportedly joining the list. According to Reuters, Macy’s will partner with same-day delivery provider Deliv to expand same-day delivery of online purchases to several new U.S. markets before the end of the summer.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has made it clear with recent promotions that it has Amazon.com in its sights, and the retailer is now boning up on back-end fulfillment capability for its e-commerce business. Wal-Mart is opening two new e-commerce distribution facilities Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Cincinnati - Phillips Edison Grocery Center REIT II Inc. has acquired two grocery-anchored shopping centers, expanding the company's portfolio in Colorado. Meadows on the Parkway is a 216,437-sq.-ft. grocery store-anchored shopping center in Boulder, Colorado, The center is anchored by Safeway and also features national tenants Subway, Regus, Great Clips, Michaels, Anytime Fitness and Fast Signs.

Montvale, N.J. – So far, chapter 11 bankruptcy appears to be going as planned for The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P). A&P has received approval for financing from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York, bids for some stores, and will close 25 stores in the near term due to “lack of interest” and ongoing losses.

Hangzhou, China - Alibaba.com is moving to put concerns about the reliability of its suppliers to rest. The global e-commerce platform is upgrading its trade assurance program to give small-to-mid-sized businesses peace of mind when buying from overseas suppliers.

Framingham, Mass. – Staples Inc., famous for the “easy button,” is partnering with UPS to ease the shipment of UPS packages from any U.S. store location. Customers now can charge the cost of shipments at Staples to their UPS account, which means they don't have to prepare labels ahead of time and will see the invoice, and any customized rates, on their regular UPS invoice.

Dublin, Calif. - Ross Stores has some big plans when it comes to opening new stores. Ross is opening of 19 Ross Dress for Less and eight dd's Discounts stores across 15 different states in July.

These new locations are part of the off-price retailer's 2015 expansion plans to add a total of approximately 90 stores during the year, including 70 Ross and 20 dd's Discounts. Ultimately, the retailer believes Ross Dress for Less can grow to 2,000 locations and dd's Discounts can become a chain of 500 stores