Logistics

Santa Fe Springs, Calif. -- Sona Enterprises, a direct wholesaler/distributor of more than 3,000 SKUs to gift shops, travel agencies, camping and hiking outfitters, auto dealerships/parts stores/repair shops, jewelry and convenience stores, has improved upon manual warehouse management procedures using the AcellosOne warehouse management system (WMS).

Altoona, Pa. -- Sheetz Convenience Restaurants said it broke ground Thursday on a new distribution and production center in Burlington, N.C.

The 44-acre site will include a Sheetz Bros. kitchen bakery, distribution and warehousing center for the Sheetz distribution fleet, and also will provide space for various other corporate support departments.

Virginia Beach, Va. -- Destination Maternity Corp. has leased 5,033 sq. ft. for a new flagship store in The Town Center of Virginia Beach, according to Divaris Real Estate.

Motherhood Maternity will close all of its locations in Southside Hampton Roads and move into the new Destination Maternity in September. The new store will carry all of the retailers concepts including Motherhood Maternity and A Pea in the Pod.

Washington, D.C. -- Import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase a modest 1.1% in July over the same month last year, but a slow summer should be followed by significant increases as retailers head into the holiday season this fall, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released Wednesday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.


Bella Vista, Australia -- Woolworths Supermarket, a division of Australian retail conglomerate Woolworths Ltd., is optimizing home delivery routes for its growing e-commerce business using solutions from Descartes Systems Group. Woolworths is employing the Descartes Route Planner and Mobile applications with assistance from Descartes development partner The Brisbane Group. Using the Descartes technology, Woolworths combines route planning, tracking and execution with mobile functionality.

New Orleans -- Smoothie King Franchises is targeting the Jacksonville, Fla., metro area to kick off a major expansion calling for 1,000 new franchised and corporate locations over the next five years.

With seven stores in Jacksonville, the company plans to add 10 new locations there over the next three years.

To fuel the national expansion drive, Smoothie King is offering candidates 40% off of its initial franchise fee for the first 40 agreements of 2013 — a savings of $10,000.

Mississauga, Ont. -- Target plans to open the doors to an additional 20 stores in Canada between July 16 and July 30. The stores will be located in in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario
 
The openings mark Target’s first openings in Saskatchewan and follow the unveiling of 48 stores across Canada earlier this year. The new 20 locations officially push Target past the halfway mark for store openings this year. The retailer plans to open 124 stores across Canada throughout 2013.

New York -- Supply Chain Optimization, a special online report by Chain Store Age, looks at how changing demand, multiple channels and increased consumer expectations are redefining the retail landscape and putting increased emphasis on supply chain infrastructures.

Learn how to gain a competitive advantage by having a more efficient, flexible and, responsive supply chain.

Download the report.