Amware Fulfillment, a 3PL focused on direct-to-customer commerce, has been acquired by French logistics provider Staci Group in a marriage that provides customers of both firms with entrance into markets in Europe and the U.S., respectively. The companies will also cross-pollinate their respective technology strengths.
Moosejaw Mountaineering, the outdoor lifestyle retailer acquired by Walmart as it was building up its stable of digital native brands in the last decade, has now been purchased by Dick’s Sporting Goods, a more natural home for its products and audience as Dick’s looks to expand its vendor base.
Branded Group, a New York-based acquirer of digitally native brands, is being sued by Austin Naturals, a company it purchased in 2021, whose principals allege they are due $1.25M million as part of their agreement. The deferred payment was contingent on Austin Naturals hitting a first-year EBITDA target, which it claims it did.
American Eagle Outfitters and Gap, who both launched B2B outsourcing units in 2022 to monetize their large shipping and fulfillment networks, have been adding partners lately to expand their capabilities, providing SMB and omnichannel retailers access to capacity and optimization they wouldn’t have otherwise.
Boxed, the once high-flying online warehouse club that set out to be the ecommerce equivalent of brick-and-click competitors like Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s, is now exploring strategic alternatives, which euphemistically means looking for a buyer. And Amazon acknowledged an expansion of its corporate layoffs from 10,000 to 18,000.
Ryder Systems Inc. has acquired niche third-party logistics provider Dotcom Distribution, its second such deal this year, boosting its position in health and beauty, cosmetics and fashion and adding the bench strength of a CEO who has been around since the early days of ecommerce.
Senators are asking for a hearing and FTC oversight to review the proposed $24.6 billion mega deal merging Kroger and Albertsons into a grocery powerhouse, expressing concerns about its impact on the competitive landscape and on consumers dealing with soaring prices. The FTC has its work cut out with a hot political football.
Last week Kroger announced it was acquiring Albertsons for $24.5B, a major deal on the order of Amazon buying Whole Foods in 2017 that immediately reshaped the power structure in grocery. Neil Saunders, managing director and retail analyst at GlobalData Retail, helps us put the deal in context in our latest MCM CommerceChat podcast.
SellerX, one of many that jumped on the Amazon rollup bandwagon, is being sued by a game and toy company who sold it one of its successful brands in 2021, alleging SellerX is in breach of contract for failing to adequately promote it, causing sales to plummet along with the earnout potential.
CommerceHub plans to acquire ChannelAdvisor in a joining of two competing SaaS ecommerce platforms combining front-end and back-end capabilities for retailers and brands to help grow their businesses, but one that will face some integration work based on different technologies. The acquisition price was $663.6 million.