Boxbot, a startup that pivoted from autonomous vehicle technology to automated parcel storage and retrieval for last-mile delivery applications, announced a $12 million Series A round that will help the company deploy its “three-dimensional conveyor belt” that handles sequenced sortation.
Roadie, a crowdsourced last-mile delivery platform that is owned by UPS, is expanding availability of an app that allows same-day delivery and pickup of ecommerce orders by Roadie drivers from warehouses to local customers, which was launched a year ago by sports apparel retailer Fanatics. The app enables pre-sortation and staging of local orders in a designated area within a facility.
Instacart issued its long-expected initial public offering of stock on Tuesday, priced at $30 a share for a valuation of $10 billion, well below the $39 billion it was valued at after a fundraising round in early 2021, but at an offering price low enough to entice retail investors to join the party. The company has been profitable since Q2 2022 despite falling revenue, thanks to various trimming.
GXO Logistics, which calls itself the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics provider, is acquiring Irving, TX-based 3PL PFSweb for $181 million in an all-stock deal, the companies said, increasing GXO’s presence in apparel, footwear and health and beauty categories. The transaction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter, and GXI paid a 50% premium to the Sept. 13 close.
While business success for retailers depends in large part on their supply chains, they are extremely difficult and complicated to manage. Handling shipping, distribution and other aspects of logistics on your own can easily occupy an outsized percentage of your attention. This is why many opt to hand off all or part of their fulfillment operations to a 3PL. Here’s how to find the right one for you.
At its Accelerate seller conference in Seattle, Amazon announced a raft of interconnected services Tuesday, branded as Supply Chain by Amazon. It handles everything from logistics and forwarding from point of origin all the way to the customer’s door. For the first time, Amazon offers bulk storage, distribution and replenishment across channels from the same inventory pool, including retail stores.
Danish global shipping and logistics giant A.P Moller-Maersk is jumping into ecommerce fulfillment, opening a micro fulfillment center in Dallas powered by technology from Israeli firm Fabric that will initially serve one client in health and wellness but could be expanded to a multi-tenant operation. The 38,000-square-foot facility will utilize Fabric’s automated storage and retrieval (AS/RS).
CaPow, an Israeli company with a continuous power supply for warehouse robots eliminating charging downtime, has struck a U.S. partnership to expand here, selling into robot makers, 3PLs and companies with fulfillment/distribution networks. CaPow delivers power continuously via a system using copper foil transmitters mounted on fixed points, paired with similar receivers on the robots.
Third-party logistics (3PL) providers play a pivotal role in guiding brands through the continuing evolution of retail and ecommerce. Brands aiming to adapt and excel need 3PL partners that leverage industry expertise, data and technology. This helps them enhance efficiency, promote collaboration and drive fulfillment innovation. Here’s how innovative 3PLs are spearheading this change.
More retail and ecommerce companies are forging partnerships with third-party logistics providers (3PL). They’re realizing fulfillment and shipping demands will continue to outstrip their internal capabilities. To address this growing need, Multichannel Merchant’s Top 3PL directory is a curated listing of over 60 profiles of leading providers. The submission period is now open for our 2024 directory.