Logistics

Petco will not be taking it easy this summer.   As part of a 2016 growth plan which includes 26 new Petco stores and one new Unleashed by Petco location, the specialty pet supplies retailer will open five new Petco stores across the country in July. In addition to the five new stores, the company is also remodeling 12 stores in Seattle, one in San Diego, expanding one store in Heath, Ohio, and relocating one store in Middleburg Heights, Ohio.  

Online retailers who want to offer physical pickup of their goods have a new option.   Partnering with various retailers including 7-Eleven, UPS is expanding its “smart locker” program from nine locations in Chicago to 300 locations nationwide. UPS is adding 300 new Access Point locations nationwide. The lockers are usually outside and accessible 24 hours a day at convenience stores and other sites.  

The world's largest retailer is throwing a counterpunch to Amazon's Prime service.    Walmart is offering a free 30-day trial of its ShippingPass program, which offers consumers  unlimited, two-day free shipping for a year.  Normally, the service costs $49 per year.   (So as not to feel left out, existing ShippingPass members will receive a free month of the service).  

Men’s apparel retailer Destination XL Group Inc. (DXL) is trying to make sure customers are satisfied at the very beginning of the fulfillment process.   DXL is utilizing the EZ-Ship Scan/Pack solution from supply chain management technology provider NGC Software. DXL will use EZ-Ship to reduce chargebacks and packing errors by validating the contents of each carton and shipment sent from its factories.  

The latest planned fulfillment center for Amazon.com will have a big impact on operations in the South.   The e-tail giant will open a new 600,000-sq.-ft. facility in Braselton, Georgia. When opened, it will create more than 500 new full-time jobs. Amazon currently has more than 1,500 full-time employees at its existing facilities in the state.   Employees at the Braselton center will pick, pack and ship large items for customers like household décor items, sporting equipment and gardening tools.

The nation’s largest specialty pet supplies retailer is upping its store growth this year.   PetSmart said it expects to open approximately 80 net new stores in fiscal 2016, up from 50 locations in fiscal 2015.     PetSmart is on its way to meeting its goal, having opened 12 net new stores in the United States and Canada during the quarter ended May 1, 2016. The new locations average over 12,000 sq. ft., and include service offerings such as grooming and pet training.  

Without a store base to support any fulfillment, pure-play home improvement retailer Build.com lives and dies by efficient product shipping.   Further complicating the retailer’s efforts to provide quality shipping while maintaining reasonable internal costs is the nature of its product assortment.