Mass Market Retailers back issues from October 2007:
Sears to move HQ.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... SEARS TO MOVE HQ: Sears Canada plans to move its head office, currently located at 222 Jarvis Street in Toronto, to the Toronto Eaton Centre. The company's new headquarters will occupy the top four of ...
Giant exec retires.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... GIANT EXEC RETIRES: Barry Scher has retired as vice president of public affairs for Giant Food Inc. after 41 years of service. While Scher has relinquished his ...
Safeway promotion.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... SAFEWAY PROMOTION: Safeway Inc. has promoted Michael Minasi to president of marketing. Minasi, who had been serving as senior vice president of marketing with oversight of ...
Consumer worries.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief article)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CONSUMER WORRIES: Worries about jobs and the economy have caused consumer confidence to drop in September to its lowest point in two years, according to The Conference Board. The research group's ...
The Wal-Mart Impact.(SPOTLIGHT)
Oct 08, 2007; ... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has identified health care as an area where its cost-cutting expertise can benefit consumers and generate additional sales growth. The retailer giant has expanded its popular $4 prescription drug program, adding medications to cover such conditions ...
A&P sells 19 outlets to Rouse's.(NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... MONTVALE, N.J. -- A&P has agreed to divest 19 Sav-A-Center stores in the New Orleans area to Rouse's Supermarkets Inc. Two other area Sav-A-Center stores are being sold, as well, one to a local independent food retailer. Transfer of ownership of the stores is expected to be ...
Tarqet evaluates credit card unit.(NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... MINNEAPOLIS -- Target Corp. is contemplating the sale of its credit card business, a move that may have resulted in part from widespread turmoil in the credit markets. On September 12 the retailer announced that it was "reviewing potential ownership alternatives for its credit ...
Kroger tabs head of New Division.
Oct 08, 2007 ... CINCINNATI -- Kroger Co. has named Rick Going president of its new Michigan division, a unit with 138 stores. Going, who joined Kroger in 1981, has held a number of leadership positions at the store, district and division levels during his 26 years with the retailer. He has also ...
Supervalu announces exec changes.(NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Supervalu Inc. has announced that Carl Jablonski, president of the company's Shaw's Supermarkets Inc. banner in New England, has decided to retire after 38 years with the company. Larry Wahlstrom, president of the grocery retailer's Jewel-Osco banner in ...
Hannaford plans 'green' store.(NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... AUGUSTA, Me. -- Hannaford Bros. plans to set an example as an environmentally conscious company by building a 49,000-square-foot "green" supermarket here that meets the demanding environmental standards of a major building industry group. The proposed store will be build to meet ...
Spartan will close six units.(NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Spartan Stores Inc. has announced that it will shutter five Pharm retail stores and one ExpressMart convenience store that was purchased through its acquisition of G&R Felpausch Co. The five Pharm retail stores generated about $30 million in net sales and ...
Duckwall prototype has multiple pluses.(NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... ABILENE, Kan. -- Duckwall-ALCO Stores has opened a new unit in Louisburg, Kan., that incorporates environmentally friendly features and is decorated with a new color scheme. It is the first of 14 new stores with prototype design and sustainable elements that will open this fall ....
Virtual help offered.(WAL-MART NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... VIRTUAL HELP OFFERED: Wal-Mart will eliminate its customer service telephone number for its online customers as the company rolls out its new "Customer Contact Reduction." According to a report in The New York Times customers who shop on the retailer's web site will ...
Argentine business.(WAL-MART NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... ARGENTINE BUSINESS: Wal-Mart plans to invest $100 million in its Argentine business to add stores in the country's northern provinces, according to the president of ...
Laundry detergent.(WAL-MART NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... LAUNDRY DETERGENT: Wal-Mart president and chief executive officer Lee Scott has stated that all of the company's stores in the United States would carry only concentrated products in the liquid laundry detergent ...
Private label bulbs.(WAL-MART NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... PRIVATE LABEL BULBS: Wal-Mart has unveiled its own line of energy-saving compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs under one of its own Great Value brands. Four of the retailer's store brand CFL bulbs ...
Carbon disclosure.(WAL-MART NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CARBON DISCLOSURE: Wal-Mart has joined the Carbon Disclosure Project to ...
Tesco's arrival could forever change U.S. retailing.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CHESHUNT, England -- Tesco is coming to America. The United Kingdom-based food and general merchandise retailer, third-largest in the world and second-largest in the United States if Tesco was America-based, and with sales for the fiscal year that ends next February estimated at ...
A slow climb to industry's top echelon.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CHESHUNT, ENGLAND -- Tesco, now the dominant retailer in the United Kingdom, had modest beginnings. The company was born in 1919, when Jack Cohen began to sell surplus groceries from a stall in the East End of London. His first day's take was 1 [pounds sterling] (now about about ...
Exec team combines youth and experience.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)(Company overview)
Oct 08, 2007 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CHESHUNT, England -- Tesco's remarkable success in recent years has been engineered by a team of youthful and energetic executives. Several took their positions on the executive board a decade or more ago, when they were still in their 30s. Sir ...
People always given top priority.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)(Brief article)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CHESHUNT, England -- Tesco's web site states that the company's core purpose is "to create value for customers to earn their lifetime loyalty." According to the company, its success ultimately depends on people--the people who shop its stores and the people who work in them. ...
Tesco intends to simplify Americans' shopping experience.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CHESHUNT, England -- Here's the proposition Tesco is bringing to America. In November the retailer is scheduled to open its first Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, a 10,000-square-foot convenience store that will offer such fresh items as meat, produce and dairy while providing ...
'Designing green buildings makes sense'.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)
Oct 08, 2007 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Tesco is working hard to position its Fresh & Easy format as a greener kind of neighborhood store. The company recently joined the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) volume certification pilot program. The ...
Mason 's involvement reflects stakes.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)
Oct 08, 2007 ... EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Tesco's operation in the United States is being headed by Tim Mason, who was appointed to the new role of president and chief executive officer of Tesco USA in January 2006. Tesco USA is now known as Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market. Mason, 49, has been one ...
Four basic tenets keep Tesco focused.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CHESHUNT, England -- Tesco's global programs have invariably been designed to mirror or emulate programs first unveiled in the United Kingdom--and have been constructed atop the results those programs have enjoyed in its headquarters country. As for the programs and initiatives first ...
Loyalty plan a vital link to shoppers.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CHESHUNT, England -- The information gathered via its Clubcard program gives Tesco an edge as it tailors its offerings to customer needs. Tesco introduced the Clubcard in 1995, and it was the first major retail customer loyalty program in the United Kingdom. That first mover ...
Tesco direct a new twist in GM.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)
Oct 08, 2007 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DAVENTRY, England -- Of Tesco's four-part strategy for success (growing the United Kingdom business, expanding globally, adding retail services and developing nonfood operations), it is the latter that appears to have come farthest in the shortest time. ...
Offerings come in a wide variety of different forms.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)(Brief article)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CHESHUNT, England -- Tesco has expanded from a retailer of food and then nonfood products into a seller of financial and other services as well. The rationale for the move was similar to that for adding nonfood products to Tesco's grocery mix: providing consumers who have busy, ...
'Potential limited only by our imagination'.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)(Tesco.com )
Oct 08, 2007 ... WELYWYN GARDEN CITY, England -- Tesco.com has become, over the last seven years, yet another pillar supporting Tesco's unprecedented success. More than that, the on-line service has established itself as integral to that success. Nearly 1 million customers in the United Kingdom regularly ...
Tesco always a good neighbor.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CHESHUNT, England -- Tesco takes corporate responsibility seriously. Its board of directors meets twice annually to discuss the topic and consider risks to the company. Moreover, companywide leadership on corporate responsibility is exercised by a 17-member cross-functional ...
Stakeholders help chart the course.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)(Survey)(Brief article)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CHESHUNT, England -- Tesco's corporate responsibility strategy and community plan are not blueprints imposed from the retailer's corporate headquarters. Rather, the company solicits feedback from its various stakeholders in order to create initiatives that have practical value. ...
Tesco's global strategy has become a linchpin.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CHESHUNT, England -- Tesco's international business constitutes one of the company's four strategic growth pillars, and it has been the focus of increasing activity and resources in recent-years. With operations in 12 countries, its international segment already accounts for ...
A growing presence in Asia.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)
Oct 08, 2007 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CHESHUNT, England -- Tesco's recent advances in Asia illustrate clearly both its flexibility and readiness to take on challenges in consumer markets that have defeated other international retailers. As recently as 2003 the retailer operated in ...
The myriad faces of Tesco.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)
Oct 08, 2007 ... In recent years Tesco has adopted a multiformat strategy in many of its overseas markets. As in the United Kingdom, this approach enables the retailer to serve a broader range of consumers and shopping occasions. In Hungary, Poland, Thailand and South Korea, for example, Tesco deploys ...
Tesco comes to town, settles down, makes itself comfortable.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CHESHUNT, England -- Among Tesco's global conquests, Eastern Europe is the Jewel in the Crown. Tesco is represented in four established Eastern European countries, five counting Turkey, as the retailer insists on doing: Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, in ...
Old-fashioned retailing in a modern setting.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)
Oct 08, 2007 ... PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- Philip J. Clarke is the quintessential Tesco executive. A 33-year company veteran, he has handled a variety of operational and marketing assignments with consummate ease, buoyed by a confidence in his abilities and the confidence Tesco traditionally places in its ...
'Investing for future, delivering today'.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)(revenue report)(Financial report)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CHESHUNT, England -- Tesco's leaders see the company's strong financial performance as a validation of their strategy, including an aggressive international expansion drive. Results for the first quarter of the current fiscal year, including a 10% increase in group sales, ...
Tesco chooses to start 'small'.(TESCO: Brings Its Arsenal to America)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CHESHUNT, England -- Before the first Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market store has opened, Tesco has shaken up food retailing in the United States. Competitors, up to and including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., are alert to the possibility that Tesco has discovered a viable niche with its ...
Scoreboard.(MONEY NEWS)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
Oct 08, 2007 ... <Pre> SCOREBOARD Net QuarterDollar %Income RETAILERS Ended Sales Change (Loss) Kroger 08/1816.14 bil +6.60267.3 mil ...
Target declares quarterly dividend.(MONEY NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... TARGET DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND: Target Corp.'s board of directors has announced a quarterly dividend of 14 cents per common share, payable December 10 ...
Retail ventures posts sales gain for quarter.(MONEY NEWS)(Financial report)
Oct 08, 2007 ... RETAIL VENTURES POSTS SALES GAIN FOR QUARTER: Retail Ventures Inc., the parent company of the Value City discount department store chain, posted a 7% increase in total sales for the second quarter ended August 4. Net income for the three-month period was $106.2 ...
Ahold issues update on share buyback program.(MONEY NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... AHOLD ISSUES UPDATE ON SHARE BUYBACK PROGRAM: Royal Ahold NV announced that it has repurchased about 12.6 million of its own common shares between September 17 and September 21. Shares were repurchased at an average price of about 10.44 euros per share, for a total ...
Moody's cuts its ratings on whole foods.(MONEY NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... MOODY'S CUTS ITS RATINGS ON WHOLE FOODS: Moody's Investors Service has cut its ratings on Whole Foods Market Inc., pushing them into junk territory, citing the increased debt the company has taken on in its acquisition of Wild Oats Markets Inc. Moody's now rates Whole Foods' debt as Ba1, ...
Wal-Mart lowers second quarter profit report.(MONEY NEWS)(Financial report)
Oct 08, 2007 ... WAL-MART LOWERS SECOND QUARTER PROFIT REPORT: In a regulatory filing, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reduced its reported second quarter profit by $153 million, due to expenses related to the sale of its retail operations in ...
Kroger declares quarterly dividend.(MONEY NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... KROGER DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND: Kroger Co.'s board of directors has approved a quarterly dividend of 7.5 ...
Analyst downgrades family dollar stock.(MONEY NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... ANALYST DOWNGRADES FAMILY DOLLAR STOCK: JPMorgan analyst Charles Grom downgraded the stock of Family Dollar Stores Inc. to ...
Biggest gainers.(MONEY)
Oct 08, 2007 ... <Pre> BIGGEST GAINERSCloseChange % Stock9/14/07 vs.08/31/07 Change Cost Plus 4.34 +0.34 +8.5 drugstore.com 3.08 +0.18 +6.2 Ahold 14.00 ...
Biggest losers.(MONEY)(Statistical table)(Brief article)(Company rankings)
Oct 08, 2007 ... <Pre> BIGGEST LOSERS CloseChange % Stock9/14/07 vs.08/31/07 Change Office Depot 19.15 -5.3 -21.7 Dillard's 20.47 -3.27 -13.8 99cent Only 10.74 -1.61 ...
Most active.(MONEY)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
Oct 08, 2007 ... <Pre> MOST ACTIVE Vol. (000) As a % Change vs.1 Wk. Endedof Total 1 Wk. Ended Stock9/14/07 Shares8/31/07 Office Depot 41,472 16.9 +86.6 drugstore.com 1,043 ...
Loss mounts at Pathmark in quarter.(MONEY)(Financial report)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CARTERET, N.J. -- With sales stagnant, special items including merger-related costs caused the red ink to more than double at Pathmark Stores Inc. during the second quarter of fiscal 2007. Adjusted EBITDA, however, did show improvement for both the quarter and the first half. ...
Delhaize is on a roll.(SPOTLIGHT)
Oct 08, 2007 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BRUSSELS -- Operating income for both the second quarter and first half of fiscal 2007 took a double-digit jump at the United States operations of Delhaize Group, buoyed by solid sales gains and improved gross margins. Largely on the strength ...
Customer connection gets results at Kroger.(MONEY)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CINCINNATI -- The bottom line grew more than 27% at Kroger Co. during the second quarter, driven by continued strong sales growth, improved gross margins and reduced interest expense. The results easily beat Wall Street's expectations. Net earnings for the quarter ended August ...
Bar is raised for fiscal '07.(MONEY)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CINCINNATI -- Another robust performance in the second quarter of fiscal 2007 prompted Kroger Co.'s management to raise its sales and earnings targets for the full fiscal year. Excluding its on-site fuel operations, Kroger now expects identical supermarket sales to grow between ...
Community pharmacy takes on higher profile.(OPINION)
Oct 08, 2007; ... The newfound assertiveness displayed by community pharmacy in recent months is a welcome, if overdue, development, one that greatly enhances its chances of prevailing in crucial battles in the legislative and regulatory arenas. The higher profile assumed by the industry was ...
A 'big deal' goes unnoticed.(OPINION)
Oct 08, 2007; ... When it comes to Wal-Mart, accepted wisdom, especially among the media, is to trash first and question later--if at all. This topsy-turvy approach to journalism has its roots in egotism, ignorance, embarrassment, vindictiveness and geography. Most members of the media continue ...
Wait-and-see attitude prevails.(OPINION)
Oct 08, 2007 ... NEW YORK -- With mass displays of Halloween candy already in the stores, retailers' thoughts naturally turn once again to the coming holiday season. According to two different industry watchers, hopes should be tempered by a cloudy economic outlook. In its annual forecast of ...
Chinese shoppers respond to the call of the hypermarket.(GLOBAL)
Oct 08, 2007 ... NEW YORK--Hypermarkets are taking hold in China thanks to the lure of low prices, one-stop shopping, accessible locations and the integration of other retail facilities that can turn a shopping trip into a day out, according to TNS. "In the United States such stores as Wal-Mart ...
Albert Heijn to Grow.(GLOBAL NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... ALBERT HEIJN TO GROW: Albert Heijn will expand in greater Rotterdam, opening stores as fast as possible. The Ahold NV chain will debut several inner-city supermarkets and at least one AH KL unit in a major shopping ...
Cobranded Food Line.(GLOBAL NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... COBRANDED FOOD LINE: Sobeys Inc. and Disney Consumer Products have introduced a cobranded food line for children--Compliments Junior Disney. The line comprises nearly 100 products including Mickey Burgers, Alpha-Taters mashed potato letters and Pic-Mix dried fruit snack mix. More than 75% ...
Challenges in India.(GLOBAL NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... CHALLENGES IN INDIA: Concerns over the cost and availability of real estate are jeopardizing Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s January 1,2009, target for the opening of its first cash-and-carry store in India. Despite the challenges, ...
Asda firm on prices.(GLOBAL NEWS)
Oct 08, 2007 ... ASDA FIRM ON PRICES: Asda Group PLC will avoid passing on rising food costs to shoppers, according to news reports. The chain reportedly will absorb the ...
Koerber exits Metro.(SPOTLIGHT)
Oct 08, 2007 ... FRANKFURT -- Metro AG chief executive Hans-Joachim Koerber has announced that he will step down by the end of this month. He will be succeeded by Eckhard Cordes, chairman of the Metro supervisory board. Cordes, 57, a former Mercedes executive, is head of the German conglomerate ...
It's more bad news for Seiyu.(GLOBAL)
Oct 08, 2007 ... TOKYO -- Seiyu Ltd., Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s Japanese supermarketer, has increased its forecast loss for this year by 76% and has cut 450 white collar jobs to counter sluggish sales. The company boosted its projected loss for the year ended February 29 to $90 million from the $51 ...
Sainsbury views bid more favorably.(GLOBAL)
Oct 08, 2007 ... LONDON -- J. Sainsbury PLC has softened its opposition to Qatar's $20.8 billion acquisition bid after the Gulf emirate said it would lessen the deal's dependence on debt. The chain revealed its finances to Delta (Two), a fund backed by the Qatari government, after Qatar lined up ...
Waters succeeds cotton at boots.(martin waters, william cotton)(Brief article)
Oct 08, 2007 ... SURREY, England -- William Cotton is stepping down as managing director of the Boots Retail International (BRI) division of Alliance Boots Ltd. He will be succeeded by Martin Waters, the division's regional director for North America. Waters has lived and worked in five ...