Logistics

Just in time for the holidays, Amazon.com has extended its addictive Prime Now service to Southern California by establishing four distribution hubs.

It is the season before the season when retailer revelations about plans to hire temporary workers offer insight into holiday expectations. One of the best indicators of what to expect this Christmas comes courtesy of UPS.

UPS said it plans to hire between 90,000 and 95,000 seasonal employees (about the same as last year) to support the anticipated increase in package volume that will begin in November and continue through January 2016.

Oak Brook, Ill. -- Inland Real Estate Acquisitions, Inc. announced the acquisition of three properties, located in Florida, California and Colorado, purchased in August on behalf of an Inland affiliate. The acquisitions collectively total more than $104 million for approximately 607,000 sq. ft. of commercial real estate.

Toys ”R” Us says a planned decrease in promotions led the retailer to report a drop in same-store sales in the second quarter.

The retailer singled out declines in the baby, entertainment and seasonal categories as contributing to the comp drop as well. However new CEO Dave Brandon sounded a positive tone regarding the company’s profit potential.

Today’s consumer is driven by an “I want it now” mentality, yet retailers are still not prepared to deliver. Reducing the time it takes an order to arrive at a customer’s home is every retailer’s objective, but while quicker fulfillment makes customers happy, it comes at a cost.

Consumers may have an “I want it now” mentality, but most retailers are still struggling to deliver on the demand.

That’s one of the key findings of a survey by HRC Advisory, a leading strategic retail advisory firm and unit of Hilco Global, which revealed that 80% of retailers are not prepared for the “magnitude of change” required to transform their supply chains to a customer-centric, omnichannel model.

Men’s Wearhouse founder George Zimmer has returned to the retail arena with a new concept that aims to do for men’s evening wear what Rent the Runway did for fancy dresses.

Zimmer, the founder and ousted CEO of Men’s Wearhouse, is launching Generation Tux, an online tuxedo and suit rental company. The start-up will rent 17 different styles of house-brand tuxedos, with a flat rate of $95. But customers can also add accessories, including shoes and cuff links, to put together a complete for $150 or less.

Gymboree increased same store sales and profit in the second quarter, but the kids' retailer still plans to close dozens of stores and sell a distribution center.