Walmart invests in autonomous vehicle startup Cruise

The venture will help the retailer's goals of developing a last-mile delivery system that's fast, low-cost and scalable. 

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • April 19, 2021

Retail supply chains and consumers are at a crossroads with returns

Do retailers need a C-suite position to manage reverse logistics?

By Kaarin Vembar • April 19, 2021

How the pandemic impacted demand at FedEx, Clorox and C&S Wholesale

Companies across industries began to shift operations in early 2020, as signs pointed to changes in demand and consumer habits.

By Matt Leonard • April 14, 2021

Walmart establishes supplier policy to protect pollinators

The retailer outlined new guidelines for fresh produce suppliers, along with sharing how it plans to combat habitat loss.

By Catherine Douglas Moran • April 14, 2021

GreyOrange, Tompkins Robotics team up on 'zero walk' fulfillment

The system eliminates the need to release orders in waves, as in a typical goods-to-person system, instead allowing real-time order fulfillment.

By Matt Leonard • April 13, 2021

Conagra incurs $15M in supply chain costs to keep up with demand

The company bypassed the distribution network it normally relies on and instead shipped directly from the plant or a single distribution center to the customers.

By Matt Leonard • April 13, 2021

How the pandemic drove retailers to on-demand warehousing

Supply chains had a front-row seat to volatility over the last year, and a need for more flexible operations.

By Matt Leonard • April 12, 2021

Tyson adds processing plant to package chicken for retail

Meat sales skyrocketed during the pandemic thanks to at-home cooking and many consumers plan to keep up their purchasing patterns, prompting the company to ramp up production capabilities.

By Lauren Manning • April 12, 2021

URB-E turns to electric bicycles to make grocery delivery more efficient

The company operates a fleet that tows cargo carts holding up to 800 pounds through the streets of New York City and has more cities in its sights.

By Sam Silverstein • April 8, 2021

The omnichannel age is here — and it's expensive

Profit margins are often lower for pickup than delivering from a warehouse, as retailers consider store costs, shipping expenses and channel-specific overhead.

By Ben Unglesbee • April 6, 2021

Gap designs fulfillment system to prioritize 'most valuable' customers

Delivery speeds will be tiered as gold, silver and bronze, which the CEO said would help manage costs.

By A.B. Brown • April 6, 2021

Chewy boosts automated fulfillment network through new warehouses and retrofits

The e-commerce company plans to open its second automated fulfillment center in Q2 and a "limited catalog facility" in Q3.

By Matt Leonard • April 5, 2021

Walmart, H&M among retailers in US most exposed to Suez Canal disruptions

Construction and chemical companies are also expected to feel the impact, as more than 300 vessels wait to pass through the canal.

By Matt Leonard • March 31, 2021

Shippers assess impact to cargo as Ever Given is freed from Suez Canal

Ikea confirmed it has containers on ships waiting to pass through the Suez Canal and said it "will consider all supply options available to secure the availability of our products."

By Matt Leonard • March 29, 2021

Home Depot, Lowe's build on supply chain foundations to make quick work of omnichannel

When the pandemic arrived around the same time as the home improvement retailers' busy spring season, they had to pivot to meet demand.

By Shefali Kapadia • March 29, 2021

What Walmart learned from its machine learning deployment

Successful ML implementation means using automation as a tool, not the solution.

By Katie Malone • March 26, 2021

AutoStore builds Innovation Hub to stress test micro-fulfillment robots

The company says automated micro-fullment technology is vital to enabling retailers to meet demand from customers who are likely to turn elsewhere if they cannot get purchases quickly.

By Sam Silverstein • March 23, 2021

Dollar General to curb logistics costs by expanding private truck fleet

The company's existing fleet accounted for more than 20% of outbound logistics at the end of last year, the COO said.

By S.L. Fuller • March 23, 2021

Williams-Sonoma to expand manufacturing, distribution capacity by up to 30%

The company's expansion will add about 2 million square feet to its distribution network.

By Matt Leonard • March 22, 2021

6 charts show how a pandemic upended retail supply chains

Consumers moved online and retailers pivoted to move inventory locked in brick-and-mortar locations.

By Matt Leonard • March 22, 2021

Stitch Fix threads in carrier diversity after longer cycle times during peak

The CFO called carrier diversification "very important," with outbound and reverse logistics embedded in the fabric of Stitch Fix's business model.

By Shefali Kapadia • March 17, 2021

Buffer inventory, e-commerce growth buoys warehouse demand: Prologis

An additional 125 million square feet of warehousing space or more will be needed every year until 2025 in the U.S. and Europe to keep up with current levels of e-commerce-driven demand, a report found.

By Matt Leonard • March 15, 2021

E-commerce, transparency, sustainability key for CPG manufacturers in 2021

E-commerce will remain popular — redefining the consumer goods space — with 77% of consumers indicating they'll continue online shopping, said the Consumer Brands Association.

By Lauren Manning • March 15, 2021

Yeti tests Port Houston in bid to avoid congestion

Along with the port change, Yeti has also increased its use of cross-docking for its imports to help cut down on lead times and is exploring faster shipping lanes out of Southeast Asia.

By Matt Leonard • March 12, 2021

Dick's fulfills 70% of orders from stores, cuts delivery estimates 10%

The retailer's cost of goods sold — which includes shipping, freight and distribution, along with the cost of the merchandise — was up nearly 11%.

By Matt Leonard • March 10, 2021