Walmart is continuing to strengthen its in-house capability to deliver online orders. The discount giant is purchasing the talent, technology platform, and intellectual property of JoyRun, a Silicon Valley-based startup. JoyRun operates a peer-to-peer last-mile delivery platform which enables users to pick up and deliver items for friends and neighbors. JoyRun has built a network of more than 540 official retail partners, and more than 30,000 people have served as drivers or “runners” since the compny launched in 2015. According to Walmart, this acquisition allows it to further augment its delivery team and support ongoing efforts to explore more ways to deliver online orders in the future. In a LinkedIn post announcing the acquisition, Srini Venkatesan, executive VP of Walmart Global Tech, said that JoyRun runners could complement Walmart’s Spark program for independent delivery contractors, as well as third-party delivery providers such as Instacart.

Kohl’s announced a new partnership with WHP Global, the owner of the Babies“R”Us® brand, to bring baby gear, furniture, activity, and more to millions of growing families across the country, broadening the retailer’s reach with younger customers. The first Babies“R”Us shops will open in Kohl’s this August, with plans to roll out to approximately 200 stores in fall 2024. Customers will also be able to shop an expanded assortment of baby products on Kohls.com and take advantage of the Babies“R”Us at Kohl’s registry to easily build and share gift lists. “Evolving our assortment and bringing more relevant product to the millions of customers we serve is a core focus as we continue to deliver on Kohl’s broader growth strategy,” said Tom Kingsbury, Kohl’s chief executive officer. “We see significant opportunity in the baby gear category, and partnering with Babies“R”Us is another example of how we are finding new ways to optimize our assortment and further establish Kohl’s as the go-to brand for families.”

Wiley Education Services announced a new partnership with University of Wyoming (UW) to help bring the school’s courses online quickly and effectively for the spring 2021 semester. One of Wiley's largest fee-for-service agreements to date, the partnership will provide UW with instructional design and faculty support, as well as development and training services for their faculty as they look to convert in-person classes to online modalities. The current landscape, amid COVID-19, has accelerated institutional focus on course design and faculty development. While 45% of faculty report an overall improved perception of online learning since the beginning of the pandemic, educators are still navigating the transition, according to Every Learner Everywhere and Tyton Partners. Wiley has been supporting its partners by meeting their immediate needs as it relates to course and faculty development, market research, and on-campus support, while also helping them plan for the long-term.