Ecommerce

The owner of Food Lion, Giant Food and Stop & Shop is allocating more funds to its e-commerce operations as the coronavirus pandemic prompts more people to buy groceries online.

Amazon is planning to develop a $400 million distribution center on an abandoned fairgrounds site in Detroit.

The deal could give the Seattle-based online retail giant more warehouse space to unload and pick up packages closer to consumers, speeding up delivery times.

Simon Property Group Inc., the biggest mall owner in the U.S., has been in talks with Amazon.com Inc. to turn some of its anchor department-store spaces into Amazon fulfillment centers, according to people familiar with the matter.

E-commerce shifted into high gear in April when nonessential stores shut down in order to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, prompting a greater need for warehouses to store products and plants to make goods.