Warehouse

Discount grocer Aldi is launching a five-year strategic plan to open 650 new stores across the United States. The chain launched its expansion efforts with the decision to build its regional headquarters and distribution center in Moreno Valley, Calif.

Whirlpool is reaffirming its commitment to its U.S. manufacturing base by moving production of its commercial front-load washing machines from Monterrey, Mexico, to Clyde, Ohio.

Approximately 80-100 new jobs will be created in Clyde during the next three years to support this manufacturing relocation. The company expects the relocation to increase its operational efficiencies and align with its strategy of building products in the regions where they are primarily sold. Production of the font-load commercial washer platform is due to begin in the U.S. April 2014.

Seattle – Nordstrom plans to open two new Nordstrom Rack stores in fall 2014. The approximately 35,000-sq.-ft. stores will be located at Tempe Marketplace in Tempe, Ariz. and Plaza at Jordan Creek in West Des Moines, Iowa.

The Tempe property is owned and managed by Vestar and the Plaza at Jordan Creek is being co-developed by Hurd Real Estate Services, Inc. and Signature Real Estate Services, Inc.

Macy’s plans to build a major direct-to-consumer fulfillment center near Owasso in Tulsa County, Okla., to support continued sales growth driven by Macy’s omnichannel strategy.

The site is strategically located near the intersection of 76th St. North and Lakewood Ave., about 12 miles north of Tulsa. The company is expected to invest more than $170 million in the facility.
 

The race to improve customer convenience by leveraging smart e-commerce logistics in the supply chain is heating up in the U.S. and internationally. So far, the U.S. is ahead of the pack in e-commerce sales, raking in $351.8 billion during 2012, a full 33.7% of all e-commerce purchases worldwide, according to the new Jones Lang LaSalle Global E-Commerce Report.

UPS expects to pick up more than 34 million packages Monday, Dec. 16, and expects to deliver 29 million packages globally Tuesday, Dec. 17, driven by e-commerce growth. The surge in volume during peak week — the final full week before Christmas, Dec. 16–20 — is a record for a single day at the package delivery company.

Arlington, Va. – Supermarket industry trade group Food Marketing Institute (FMI) will exclusively endorse and encourage the use of ReposiTrak among its food retail and wholesale members.

Under a new joint agreement, ReposiTrak will be the exclusive solution provider endorsed by FMI in connection with the food and drug safety traceability of goods and related services, including document management. FMI will introduce ReposiTrak to its members, which operate nearly 40,000 stores and 25,000 pharmacies.

Washington, D.C. -- Import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to grow 1.8% in December, compared to the same month last year, and the year should end with an increase of 2.3% from 2012. According to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates, U.S. ports followed by Global Port Tracker handled 1.43 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU) in October, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available.