Logistics

Lidl has made bold moves this week in preparation of its upcoming United States launch.   The company has acquired the site of an industrial building in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood, which could be the chain’s first location in Philadelphia, according to philly.com.   

Casey’s General Stores continues to grow its store portfolio.   The Iowa-based convenience-store operator currently has 39 new stores, 22 replacement stores, and 37 major remodel stores under construction.       Looking ahead, Casey’s has 84 sites under contract for future new store construction and 15 acquisition stores under contract to purchase.     

The National Retail Federation and a coalition representing retailers, manufacturers, truckers, transportation intermediaries and other business groups have asked the Federal Maritime Commission to set new policy preventing terminal operators and ocean carriers from charging unfair fees when uncontrollable incidents such as storms and strikes keep cargo from being picked up from ports on time.  

Luxury retailers are not advocates of fast fashion, but Matchesfashion.com’s new service gives the term a new meaning.  

With plans to expand to some 600 stores, At Home Group Inc. has appointed a chief operating officer and expanded its board with a Gap Inc. veteran.    The retailer, which currently operates 123 stores, said it promoted chief stores officer Peter Corsa to COO. Corsa, who joined the company in 2013, will continue to be responsible for store operations, loss prevention, distribution and logistics in addition to assuming oversight of inventory planning and allocation.  

QVC has appointed Bob Spieth as executive VP of QVC's customer and business services. He will oversee supply chain, customer service and experience, operations strategy, and corporate real estate and workplace services for both QVC and zulily businesses, with the exception of zulily's corporate facilities. Spieth joined zulily in 2013 as COO. Prior to zulily, he held several leadership roles with OHL, one of the world's largest third-party logistics companies

Ikea is hoping to build its fifth store in the state of Texas.   The retailer is submitting plans to the City of Live Oak, Texas, for a San Antonio-area store. Pending approvals, construction could begin in spring 2018, with an opening in summer 2019.     Located approximately 15 miles northeast of downtown San Antonio, the 289,000-sq.-ft. proposed Ikea would be built on 31 acres.  

A lawsuit dating back to 2008 has ended in a federal jury handing down a $55 million verdict against Walmart, and opening up the retailer to penalties.   The jury found that Walmart failed to pay about 850 of its truck drivers in California all of the compensation to which they were entitled, Reuters reported.