Logistics

After year of record online sales it’s not surprising that returns are also forecast to hit new highs, especially this week.

GARNER, N.C. — Butterball has moved to diversify its product portfolio with the acquisition of family-owned and operated Gusto Packing Co., located in Montgomery, Ill.

Gusto Packing Co. offers six basic product lines: Hickory & Apple Wood Smoked Bacon, Bone-In Smoked Pork & Turkey Products, Smoked Boneless Hams, Cooked Hams, Pork & Turkey Deli Meats and Spiral Sliced Hams.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Dollar Tree intends to expand its 603,000-sq.-ft. distribution center in Marietta, Oklahoma by an additional 400,000 sq. ft.

The leading operator of discount variety stores in North America which sells everything for no more than $1 will create more than 100 new full-time positions as a result of the expansion.

SEATTLE — Amazon contends that 2012 was a record-breaking holiday season for businesses selling on its popular online Webstore platform.

Amazon reports that more than two million third-party sellers worldwide experienced record holiday growth, and unit growth solely from sellers in the U.S. increased more than 40% year-over-year. For the year, sellers on Amazon sold hundreds of millions of units worth tens of billions of dollars worldwide, according to the company, which did not provide an actual sales figure.

The retail industry has temporarily avoided a shut down of 14 ports along the East and Gulf coasts following a 30 day extension of contract negotiations with organized labor.

The extension solves nothing, but it does give port operators and representatives of the U.S. Maritime Alliance and International Longshoremen’s Association time to iron out a new collective bargaining agreement that was set to expire on December 29. Retail industry trade groups welcomed news of the extension, while pushing for a longer term solution.

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl’s has activated its largest solar project to date at its million-sq.-ft. e-commerce fulfillment center in Edgewood, Md.

Kohl’s, a leader in renewable energy usage, opened the facility in 2011, and recently earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council at the gold level. The location is Kohl’s sixth solar site in Maryland. It is also the company’s first LEED-certified logistics facility.

Cargo volumes at U.S. ports are forecast to increase 3.9% this month following a 5.6% decline in November. That’s the good news, but now retailers and suppliers have to worry about the possibility of a strike at East coast ports.

The strike by workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach negatively affected container volumes in November, but resolution of the strike after eight days meant disruption in December was limited to just two days, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report compiled by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates

STAMFORD, Conn. — Pitney Bowes has landed a six-year contract with the U.S. Postal Service.

In accordance with the contract, valued at up to $32 million for meters and meter supplies, Pitney Bowes will provide USPS with support and maintenance of its network of postal meters. USPS will be able to nationally standardize its meter needs using a single leading edge design. The contract also includes the provision of systems and support to meet the U.S. Joint Military Postal Command’s needs nationally and internationally.