Logistics

Seattle -- Amazon.com announced plans to add more than 70,000 full-time seasonal jobs in its U.S. fulfillment centers this holiday season, a 40% increase rise over last year. The company said it hopes to eventually convert many of those temporary seasonal opportunities into permanent roles.

Columbus, Ohio -- JC's 5 Star Outlet, formerly the outlet store division of J.C. Penney, is winding down operations and closing its 15 stores. "Going out of business" sales will start Wednesday, offering shoppers deeper discounts than the usual outlet prices of 25% to 75% off retail.

The 5 Star Outlet stores, which had been designated for closure by J.C. Penney, were acquired by SB Acquisitions in October 2011, and rebranded JC's 5 Star Outlet.
   

Walmart opened a dedicated online fulfillment center in Fort Worth this week and said its largest facility ever will open next spring in Bethlehem, Pa.

New York - Fairway Group Holdings Corp., the parent company of grocery chain Fairway Market, will open a 53,000-sq.-ft. store in the DSW Plaza at 4000 Middle Country Road in Lake Grove Long Island, N.Y., in spring 2014.
 
The new store will be the first Fairway Market location in Suffolk County on Long Island and the 15th food store in the tri-state New York, New Jersey and Connecticut region.

Thibodaux, La. -- Southern grocery store operator Rouses Markets will take ownership of six former Belle Foods stores in Alabama from Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG), a retail-owner cooperative of which Rouses Markets is a member. AWG and its group of grocers and operators submitted the winning bid last week at the Belle Foods bankruptcy auction in Birmingham.

This is Rouses Markets' first expansion into Alabama. The company currently operates 38 stores in Louisiana and Mississippi. Three new stores in Louisiana were also recently announced.

New York -- Fairway Group Holdings Corp., parent company of the Fairway Market grocery chain, has signed a long term lease to open a 52,242-sq.-ft .grocery in Manhattan's TriBeCa neighborhood with commercial realtor Jack Resnick & Sons.

This store is expected to open in fall 2014. It will be the first Fairway location in Lower Manhattan and the 16th Fairway food store in the tri-state New York, New Jersey and Connecticut region.

Brentwood, Tenn. — Tractor Supply Company has announced the opening of its first store in Nevada — in Carson City. The move is part of the company’s expansion strategy into the western region of the country. Tractor supply plans to open 100 to 105 stores in 2013.

The company currently operates more than 1,223 stores in 47 states and plans to grow to 2,100 stores.

East Pennsboro Township, Pa. – Rite Aid has reportedly been ordered to pay $12.3 million in a civil lawsuit accusing the retailer of illegally dumping hazardous waste from more than 600 stores in California. According to the Los Angeles Times, San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Linda L. Lofthus handed down the ruling in a suit brought against Rite Aid by the district attorneys of San Joaquin, Los Angeles and Riverside counties.