Chain Store Age Executive Fax articles from March 2003

Chain Store Age Executive Fax archives from March 2003

Lane Bryant. (New Stores, New Markets).(Lane Bryant Inc. leased space at Chicago shopping center)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Lane Bryant leased space at Chatham Village Square in Chicago.

Sam's Club. (New Stores, New Markets).(plans new stores in Canada)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Sam's Club will debut in Canada later this year with locations in Vaughan and Pickering, near Toronto, as well as another store in London, Ontario. Elsewhere, Wal-Mart will expand its discount store in Charlotte County, Fla., to its supercenter...

Kohl. (New Stores, New Markets).(Kohl's Corp. to add new stores in five states)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Kohl's will open three stores in the San Antonio area in April. It also plans to add locations in Kalamazoo, Mich.; Hookset, N.H.; Springfield, Mass.; and Doylestown, Pa., at that time.

Tandy Leather. (New Stores, New Markets).(Tandy Leather Co. opens store in Delmont, Pennsylvania)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Tandy Leather set up shop in Delmont, Pa.

Borders. (New Stores, New Markets).(Borders Inc. plans new bookstores in Chicago, Albuquerque)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Borders will open at the Northtowne Plaza in Albuquerque, N.M., in July. It also is adding a trio of stores in Chicago, set to open this spring.

Henry's Marketplace. (New Stores, New Markets).(opens new store in Costa Mesa, California)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Henry's Marketplace just opened in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Stater Bros. (New Stores, New Markets).(Stater Bros. Markets plans new store in Moreno Valley, California)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Stater Bros. is adding a store in Moreno Valley, Calif., set to open in early 2004.

Dillard. (New Stores, New Markets).(Dillard Department Stores Inc. opens new stores in Ohio, Iowa)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Dillard's opens in Olmstead, Ohio, at the Great Northern Mall this month. It also will open at the NorthPark Mall in Davenport, Iowa, in July.

Barnes & Noble. (New Stores, New Markets).(Barnes and Noble Inc. will open new store in Escondido, California)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Barnes & Noble opens next Wednesday in Escondido, Calif., at Gateway Center.

Timbuktu Station. (New Stores, New Markets).(women's clothing retailer plans new store in Illinois)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Women's apparel retailer Timbuktu Station, a division of Maurices, leased space in Town Square Wheaton (Ill.). Talbots also will open there.

Snyders Drug Stores. (New Stores, New Markets).(Snyder's Drug Stores Inc. opens store in Minneapolis, Minnesota)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Snyders Drug Stores just opened in the Franklin District of Minneapolis.

Aldi. (New Stores, New Markets).(new Aldi Inc. store in Wichita, Kansas)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Aldi will open in Wichita, Kan.

Weather, strong comparison take toll on February comps.(retail stores sales data)
March 7, 2003... So much for the Presidents Day weekend sales event, a time that marks the start of the spring season and gives retailers one last chance to move old winter merchandise. Retail comparable-store sales increased a mere 0.8% during February,...

Fleming CEO steps down amid inquiry.(Mark Hansen resigns as chief executive officer, chairman of Fleming Companies Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Mark Hansen stepped down as chairman and CEO of Fleming. His resignation comes at a crucial time, as Fleming was recently notified that it is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. It also follows the demise of Fleming's...

The Spiegel Group. (People in the News).(names chief restructuring officer)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The Spiegel Group named William Kosturos as its chief restructuring officer. He also will take on the role of interim CEO.

Spartan Stores. (People in the News).(names chief executive officer, president)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Spartan Stores named Craig Sturken as its new CEO and president. He replaces James Meyer, who informed the retailer's board late last year that he would retire. Sturken most recently served as CEO of A&P's Midwest and Atlantic regions. Meyer...

General Motors. (People in the News).(Walden Book Company Inc. names new president)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Waldenbooks named former General Motors executive Rick Vanzura as its new president, effective March 10.

KB Toys. (People in the News).(names vice president of management information systems)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... KB Toys promoted Keith Porter to VP of management information systems.

Zales. (People in the News).(Zales Jewellers Ltd. names vice president, chief financial officer)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Zales promoted Mark Lenz to senior VP, CFO.

Study: fewer trips to the supermarket.(a survey finds that shoppers are making 10 fewer trips to supermarkets per year than in 1999)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Consumers are making fewer trips to the supermarket as warehouse clubs, dollar stores and supercenters have stolen foot traffic. A recent survey conducted by ACNielsen discovered that shoppers are making 10 fewer trips to the supermarket on an...

Kmart: former execs lacked discipline.(Kmart Corp. sets new management strategy, faces lawsuit filed by Fleming Companies Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... It wasn't the lack of cutting-edge technology that nearly brought Kmart to the brink of collapse. Rather, it was previous management who lacked the discipline needed to run the company, according to new CEO Julian Day. Kmart's current...

Super Valu. (This Week's Retail News Nuggets).(Super Valu Stores Inc. will open 35 supermarkets in Atlanta, Georgia)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Super Valu will open 35 supermarkets in the Atlanta area over the next five years under the Save-A-Lot and Deals, Nothing Over a Dollar banners.

Spartan Stores, Inc. (This Week's Retail News Nuggets).(plans to sell Food Town stores in Toledo, Ohio)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Spartan Stores, Inc., will shutter 13 Food Town grocery stores in the Toledo, Ohio, market. It's also considering the sale of the remaining 26 Food Town stores.

Toys "R". (This Week's Retail News Nuggets).(Toys "R" Us Inc. will cut 200 jobs, train additional store associates)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Toys "R" Us will cut 200 more jobs over the next few weeks at the corporate level and reuse those finances to train additional store associates. The decision comes two months after the chain said it would cut 700 management and supervisory...

Today's Man. (This Week's Retail News Nuggets).(files for bankruptcy, fires chief executive officer, president)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Today's Man filed for bankruptcy and ousted Bruce Weitz as its CEO and president.

Wal-Mart. (This Week's Retail News Nuggets).(Wal-Mart Stores Inc. receives approval to acquire Supermercados Amigo Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... Wal-Mart's acquisition of Supermercados Amigo was approved by the Puerto Rican justice department.

Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust. (This Week's Retail News Nuggets).(acquires six properties rom Rouse Co.)(Brief Article)
March 7, 2003... The Rouse Co. is selling six retail properties in the Philadelphia area to Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust for $548 million.

Coldwater Creek. (New Stores, New Markets).(new Kansas City shops)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... Coldwater Creek, J. Jill, Icing by Claire's and Jos. A. Bank signed on as tenants of The Shops at Boardwalk in Kansas City, Mo., set to open this August.

Whole Foods Market. (New Stores, New Markets).(new Atlanta store)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... Whole Foods Market opened a store this week in Atlanta at Midtown Place, its third name-brand location in the city. The chain plans to debut in Colorado Springs, Colo., in March 2004 in a former Cub Foods spot. King Soopers also will be opening...

Shoe Carnival. (New Stores, New Markets).(new locations)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... Shoe Carnival recently opened in Jupiter, Fla.; Clarksburg, W.Va.; Slidell, La.; and Jefferson City, Mo.

The Home Depot. (New Stores, New Markets).(New Jersey location)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... The Home Depot opened last week in a former Bradlees location in Hackensack, N.J.

Dollar General. (New Stores, New Markets).(new locations)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... Dollar General opened 81 stores last month, including 13 locations in Pennsylvania and six shops each in Ohio and North Carolina.

Rod Kush's Furniture. (New Stores, New Markets).(Nebraska location)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... Rod Kush's Furniture will open next month in Fremont, Neb.

Pearl River. (New Stores, New Markets).(fashion, home decor retailer opens store in New York City)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... Asian fashion and home decor retailer Pearl River opens its new store in SoHo in New York City later this month.

WHSmith. (New Stores, New Markets).(WHSmith to open stores in Logan International Airport)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... WHSmith signed a deal to open up to six shops in Boston's Logan International Airport.

Dillard's will open a pair of stores in Richmond. (New Stores, New Markets).(Dillard Department Stores Inc. to open two stores in Richmond, Virginia)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... This September, Dillard's will open a pair of stores in Richmond, Va., at Short Pump Town Center and Stony Point Fashion Park.

99 Cents Only Stores. (New Stores, New Markets).(new store to open in Sacramento, California)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... 99 Cents Only Stores opens next week in Sacramento, Calif., on El Camino Avenue.

Spiegel may file for bankruptcy, problems rooted in credit unit.(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... Maybe retailers should leave the financial aspect of running a credit-card business to bankers. Spiegel announced this week that it may be forced to file for bankruptcy protection unless it can find alternative sources of financing to cover the...

Insider says Ahold knew of problems.(former executive at Royal Ahold N.V. says company new about accounting problems at U.S. Foodservice division)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... Did Ahold shrug off reports of irregular accounting procedures at its U.S. Foodservice division? That's the story a former Ahold executive told the Financial Times, which reported this week that Ernie Smith resigned as CFO of U.S. Foodservice...

Weekly sales rise 0.8% in latest tally.(retail sales data for first week of March 2003)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... The first week of March produced an uptick in retail sales, according to a tally compiled by the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and UBS Warburg. Comparable-store sales rose 0.6% for the week ending March 8, compared with the previous week. On a...

Kmart takes axe to executive posts.(Kmart Corp. cutting senior management positions)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... Executive jobs are in jeopardy in Troy, Mich. Kmart began cutting senior management positions this week as part of a plan to trim costs. Including jobs unfilled, Kmart expects to trim 25% of its senior-level corporate positions, the Associated...

Gottschalks posts loss for 4Q year.(financial data for Gottschalks Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... Gottschalks recorded a loss of $4.2 million in the fourth quarter ended Feb. 1, compared with earnings of $10.4 million in the prior-year period. Same-store sales for the 13 weeks were down 1.8% while total revenues fell 3.4% to $232.9 million...

As planned, eBay swallows Half.com.(eBay Inc. will close Half.com division)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... All the stuff for sale on the Half.com Web site is moving over to eBay. By the end of 2004, the on-line auctioneer will close its Philadelphia-based Half.com division. Half.com president Josh Kopelman will resign April 15. According to eBay,...

Greenspan: banks need to be regulated.(Alan Greenspan asks lawmaker to reject legislation that expands powers of industrial loan corporations )(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... Alan Greenspan, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, is said to be urging House lawmakers to reject legislation that would allow companies such as Wal-Mart to offer consumers federally insured bank accounts without oversight from the Federal...

Access denied at Illinois Walgreens.(Walgreen Co. sued by Illinois attorney general for not making stores accessible to disabled people)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... Walgreens has run into trouble on its home turf from the Illinois attorney general, who has sued the drug store chain because it has reportedly failed to make its stores in that state accessible to customers with disabilities. Crain's Chicago...

Michaels new format: Recollections.(Michaels Stores Inc. to open stores devoted to scrapbook collections)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... Striking forth with its third retail format, Michaels Stores, Inc. said this week it will launch a new format titled Recollections that will be devoted to scrapbook collections. Two stores are slated to open this summer in the Dallas/Fort Worth...

Saks, Inc. will ban goods that have been imported from Burma. (This Weeks Retail News Nuggets).(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... Saks, Inc. will ban goods that have been imported from Burma within three years since the country's garment industry is closed linked to a system of forced labor. The company joins a list of retailers that includes Wal-Mart, Federated and...

Workers at 11 Rite Aid stores in Michigan. (This Weeks Retail News Nuggets).(Rite Aid Corp. employees in Michigan join United Food and Commercial Workers International Union)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... Workers at 11 Rite Aid stores in Michigan joined Local 951 of the United Food & Commercial Workers union.... Kroger is said to be considering bidding for Chicago-based Dominick's, the 113-store division of Safeway.

Value City Department Stores will open space in some of its stores for Jackson Hewitt. (This Weeks Retail News Nuggets).(Jackson Hewitt Inc. tax preparation services)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2003... Value City Department Stores will open space in some of its stores for Jackson Hewitt tax preparation departments.

Nordstrom. (New Stores, New Markets).(Salt Lake City store planned)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Nordstrom signed a letter of intent to open at The Gateway in downtown Salt Lake City.

Talbots and Ann Taylor Loft will be among the tenants. (New Stores, New Markets).(shopping center in Rhode Island)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Talbots and Ann Taylor Loft will be among the tenants of Barrington (R.I.) Shopping Center.

Jos. A. Bank to open at Sarasota. (New Stores, New Markets).(Florida, Texas stores)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Look for Jos. A. Bank to open at Sarasota (Fla.) Square Mall and Sikes Senter in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Ethan Allen just opened in Emeryville. (New Stores, New Markets).(California store)
March 21, 2003... Ethan Allen just opened in Emeryville, Calif.

Abercrombie & Fitch. (New Stores, New Markets).(new California store)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Abercrombie & Fitch opens this summer in Valencia, Calif., at Town Center Drive.

Opening at Cherry Creek in Denver later this year will be Adrienne Vittadini, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Swim N' Sport. (New Stores, New Markets).(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Opening at Cherry Creek in Denver later this year will be Adrienne Vittadini, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Swim N' Sport. Elsewhere in the Denver area, footwear chain Aldo will open a store at FlatIron Crossing.

Former Stern's gets makeover.(redevelopment into Bloomingdale's Furniture, Galyan's stores)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... A former Stern's location at Roosevelt Field in Garden City, N.Y., is being split in half and will be redeveloped as a Bloomingdale's Furniture store and a Galyan's sports and outdoor location, its first in the area. Bloomingdale's will occupy...

Charming Shoppes trimming fat, closing down accessorize unit.(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Did Charming Shoppes, Inc. become plus-sized too quickly to absorb its acquisitions? That seems to be the case, according to Dorrit Bern, chairman, chief executive and president of Charming Shoppes. "In a few short years, Charming Shoppes has...

Spiegel files for Chapter 11, execs part.(Melissa Payner, George Ittner resign)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... As was anticipated, Spiegel, Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection this week, after delinquencies at its credit-card division. The news follows the departures last weekend of the chief executives of Spiegel's namebrand and Newport News catalog...

Weekly sales continue streak, rise 0.4%.(same-store sales)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Same-store sales for the week ending March 15 rose 0.4% over the prior week and increased 0.6% for the year-over-year tally, according to the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and UBS Warburg retail chain store sales index. Discount chains fared well...

Odd Job Stores, Inc. (People in the News).(Steve Furrier appointed president, CEO)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Steve Furrier was named CEO and president of Odd Job Stores, Inc. He was brought on as interim CEO last December. Furrier has 35 years of retail experience.

Frank's Nursery and Crafts. (People in the News).(Bruce Dale appointed CEO)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Frank's Nursery and Crafts appointed Bruce Dale as CEO, effective April 14. He has been an executive with Michaels Stores for the past 10 years.

Bon-Ton Stores. (People in the News).(Frank Tworecke appointed president, COO)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Frank Tworecke was named president and COO of Bon-Ton Stores. He had been serving as chief merchandising officer and vice chairman since November 1999.

Ingles Markets. (People in the News).(James Lanning promoted to president)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Ingles Markets promoted James Lanning to president, replacing Vaughn Fisher, who retired in December. Lanning has been with Ingles since 1976.

Spartan Stores, Inc. (People in the News).(Dennis Eidson appointed executive VP)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Spartan Stores, Inc. named Dennis Eidson executive VP of marketing and merchandising. He is a former divisional CEO and president of A&P's Midwest region.

Longs Drug Stores. (People in the News).(Michael Laddon named senior vice president, chief investment officer)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Longs Drug Stores named Michael Laddon as senior VP, CIO. He replaces Brian Kilcourse, who left earlier.

Wiz will close 17 remaining stores.(consumer electronics stores to close)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Going-out-of-business sales have commenced at the 17 remaining Wiz consume-relectronic stores in New York (9), New Jersey (7) and Connecticut (1). Parent company Cablevision made a number of changes to its Wiz business since last year,...

NRF: bankruptcies hurting economy.(National Retail Federation wants United States to pass Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... "The soaring number of [personal] bankruptcies has left retailers holding more and more bad debt, and it's driving up the cost of consumer products for those of us who do pay our bills." That's what Tracy Mullin, chief executive and president...

Fleming takes steps to avoid Chapter 11.(Fleming Companies Inc. hires investment bank Gleacher & Co.)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... One month ago, Fleming CFO Mark Shapiro stated that the idea of the wholesaler filing for bankruptcy was "ludicrous." That may not be the case anymore. Fleming enlisted investment banking firm Gleacher & Co. this week to help it deal with...

Family dollar revises expansion plans.(Family Dollar Stores Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Family Dollar revised its store expansion plans for its fiscal year ending Aug. 30. The discount chain says it will now open 475 to 500 stores and shutter 65 locations. Roughly 60% of the new stores will be located in urban markets. Family...

Gateway. (This Week's Retail News Nuggets).(computer retailer plans to close 76 stores, cut 1,900 jobs)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Gateway will shutter 76 of its 268 stores, its third store-closing spree in an equal number of years. The computer maker also will cut 1,900 jobs, or 17% of its work force. Gateway also warned that its first-quarter loss might be wider than...

Price Chopper will make room for 13 new banking centers from Charter One Financial. (This Week's Retail News Nuggets).(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Price Chopper will make room for 13 new banking centers from Charter One Financial at supermarkets in upstate New York and in New England.

CVS. (This Week's Retail News Nuggets).(CVS Corp.'s plans store openings, relocations, closures)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... CVS will open 150 to 175 new drug stores this year, of which roughly 90 locations will be in new markets. It also plans to relocate 100 stores and shutter 50 locations.

A&P sold eight supermarkets in northern New England to GU Family Markets. (This Week's Retail News Nuggets).(Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... A&P sold eight supermarkets in northern New England to GU Family Markets, leaving it with no more operations in that region.

Costco. (This Week's Retail News Nuggets).(workers at Costco Companies Inc. vote in favor of representation from International Brotherhood of Teamsters)(Brief Article)
March 21, 2003... Workers at Costco's warehouses in New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia voted in favor of retaining strong representation from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The employees--who are the highest paid workers in the retail...

New stores, new markets.(Brief Article)
March 28, 2003... On April 2, women's apparel chain Cato will open stores at the Shoppes at Lucedale, Miss.; Tupelo (Miss.) Market Shopping Center; Durant (Okla.) Shopping Center; The Shoppes at North Augusta, S.C.; and in Murfreesboro, Tenn.... Barnes & Noble...

Sears looks to sell credit unit, focus needed on merchandise.(Brief Article)
March 28, 2003... What will become of Sears as it shifts its attention away from its credit-card business? First and foremost, the company hopes to become a better merchandiser. Sears announced this week that it was searching for a buyer for its credit division,...

Bankruptcy 101: lose the inflated ego.(tips for retailers on emerging from bankruptcy)(Brief Article)
March 28, 2003... Retailers that want to successfully emerge from bankruptcy should follow this formula: Lose the ego and focus your efforts on improving the supply chain and customer service. If retailers fail to do so, the potential for long-term success is...

J. C. Penney.(Mike Boylson appointed executive VP, chief marketing officer; Dennis Beran appointed senior VP, director of auditing)(Brief Article)
March 28, 2003... J.C. Penney appointed Mike Boylson executive VP, chief marketing officer and Dennis Beran senior VP, director of auditing.

Petco.(Doug Beeuwsaert appointed VP of company's internal audit department)(Brief Article)
March 28, 2003... Petco named Doug Beeuwsaert VP of its internal audit department. The chain also appointed Gilbert Smith as VP of inventory management.

Winn-Dixie.(Mark Matta appointed senior VP of human resources and a member of its executive committee)(Brief Article)
March 28, 2003... Winn-Dixie appointed Mark Matta as senior VP of human resources and a member of its executive committee. Matta has been employed with Pepsi, Sherwin-Williams and OfficeMax.

Wal-Mart.(five Wal-Mart executives elected to board of Seiyu)(Brief Article)
March 28, 2003... Five Wal-Mart executives, including John Menzer, Joe Hatfield and Jeff McAllister, were elected to the board of Seiyu, its Japanese business partner.

Pacific Sunwear.(Peter Starrett and Thomas Murnane elected to company's board of directors)(Brief Article)
March 28, 2003... Pacific Sunwear elected Peter Starrett and Thomas Murnane to its board of directors.

Gap, Inc.(Toby Link appointed president of Gap Direct)(Brief Article)
March 28, 2003... Gap, Inc. appointed Toby Link, founder and former CEO of eToys, as president of Gap Direct. He will oversee the e-businesses of all three Gap units. Elsewhere, Banana Republic appointed Jack Calhoun executive VP of marketing.

At dollar stores, categories expand.(Brief Article)
March 28, 2003... Household products is the fastest growing category inside dollar stores, with 53% of respondents in a poll from WSL Strategic Retail stating that they bought more of these products in dollar stores in the last three months than in the prior...