Chain Store Age Executive Fax articles from May 2003

Chain Store Age Executive Fax archives from May 2003

New stores, new markets.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Family Dollar opened two stores this week in Beaumont, Texas, raising its number of locations in the area to eight. The discount chain is reportedly building two other stores in Beaumont that will open by August.... Next week, Cato will open...

Target places emphasis on food, other categories take backseat.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Apparel is now taking a backseat at one of the nation's leading discount stores. Looking to make amends for its poor performance in the first quarter, Target says it will place more emphasis on food departments at its brand-name discount...

Report confirms employees steal most.(study released by National Supermarket Research Group)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Five-finger discounts by store employees still plague the supermarket industry. A new study released by the National Supermarket Research Group discovered that employee-caused shrink was the largest category of shrink at 57%. The largest...

Bids due for Sears' credit business.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... There seems to be no lack of interest in purchasing Sears' credit-card business. Reports say some of the biggest names in financial services were vying for the business, including General Electric, Royal Bank of Scotland and Citigroup. Other...

Ingles Markets.(elects James Lanning to board)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Ingles Markets elected its president James Lanning to its board. He fills the seat vacated by former president, Vaughan Fisher, who retired earlier this year. Lanning was appointed president of Ingles Markets this past March....

Best Buy.(hires Ron Boire as executive vice president)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Best Buy has named Ron Boire executive VP, general merchandise manager of its name-brand stores. A former Sony executive, Boire takes over the role from Mike London, who will focus his efforts on customer centricity. Also, Best Buy named Kal...

Weekly sales fall 0.1% in latest tally.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... For the second straight week, retail comparable-store sales have declined in the latest tally compiled by the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and UBS Warburg. Comps were down 0.1% for the week ending May 17, compared with the previous week. Sales...

Ahold completes sale of beauty unit.(to Holland & Barrett Europe)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Royal Ahold finalized the sale of its De Tuinen division, a health-and-beauty-care format that is comprised of 41 company-owned stores and 25 franchise shops. Holland & Barrett Europe, a British subsidiary of dietary supplement producer NBTY,...

Federated says Macy's name is big draw.(Federated Department Stores Inc. will add Macy's banner to regional department store divisions)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Beginning Aug. 1, Federated Department Stores, Inc. will integrate the Macy's banner at its regional department store divisions. The move is based on the success of the Rich's-Macy's integration. The Bon Marche will be known as The...

Elder-Beerman gets unsolicited bid.(from EB Acquisition)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... In a move that may lead to the sale of the company, Elder-Beerman announced this week that it had received unsolicited bids relating to a possible acquisition of the department store retailer. EB Acquisition, a group led by Ohio real estate...

Chico's denies uniform policy at stores.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... While it has yet to be served with the lawsuit, Chico's discovered this week that a former employee had filed a lawsuit in California, alleging that the retailer has a mandatory uniform policy. The plaintiff claims that Chico's required its...

This week's retail news nuggets.(includes mulitples news items)(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Netflix opened shipping centers in Chicago and St. Louis.... Nash Finch Co. will supply 20 to 25 Super Kmart stores, a deal that is expected to bring in roughly $150 million in annual sales.... Walgreens says it will close its distribution...

New stores, new markets.(Whole Foods Market; Organized Living; Wet Seal; Aeropostale; Galyan's Trading Co)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Whole Foods Market will open next spring at The Source at White Plains, N.Y.... KB Toys opened stores at Santa Rosa Mall in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and at Brick (N.J.) Town Center.... Organized Living has leased space at Chandler (Ariz.)...

Union organizers get their wish, Wal-Mart Canada is first stop.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Union organizers won a moral and material victory this week against Wal-Mart. The British Columbia Labor Relations Board ordered the retailer to allow the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1518 to speak with employees for at...

More resignations at U.S. Foodservice.(Robert Tobin, interim CEO, replaces Jim Miller)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Nearly all of the top brass at U.S. Foodservice have resigned, following the accounting scandal in which it was said to have overstated earnings by $880 million. Jim Miller resigned this week as chief executive of the company he founded in...

Despite sales rise, C-store profits dip.(report from National Association of Convenience Stores)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... The convenience store industry reported a 24.3% decline in profits last year, falling to $2.62 billion when compared with 2001. That marks the second straight year of profit declines, according to the National Association of Convenience...

Eckerd.(drugstore chain hired Albert Abbood as vice president of sales and procurement, front-end merchandising)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Albert Abbood was appointed VP of sales and procurement of front-end merchandising at Eckerd. He previously was employed with Wakefern Food Corp., Grand Union and Fleming Cos....

At Gap Inc.: Brian Lynch was named senior VP, stores and operations for the outlet division and Tom Sands was named executive VP of Old Navy stores and operations.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... At Gap Inc.: Brian Lynch was named senior VP, stores and operations for the outlet division and Tom Sands was named executive VP of Old Navy stores and operations.

iTunes already hits 2 million mark.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... In the 16 days that Apple Computer's iTunes music store has been in operation, more than 2 million songs were purchased and downloaded. In addition, more than half of the songs bought were purchased as complete albums.

At Starbucks: next stop South America.(joint venture with Grain Red S.A. to form Sur-Andino Cafe)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Starbucks Coffee International formed a joint venture this week with Grain Red S.A. to bring its coffee shop format to Chile, the first step in its foray into South America. The new venture, called Sur-Andino Cafe, will open the first...

Peapod now taking orders in Wisconsin.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Peapod is bringing its e-grocer delivery service to Wisconsin beginning May 16, in the Lake Geneva, Williams Bay and Fontana areas. The service is expected to continue through Labor Day.

Weekly sales tally shows 0.2% decrease.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Retail same-store sales dipped 0.2% for the week ended May 10, compared with the previous week. Despite the decline, same-store sales are up 2.7% for the year-to-date period, according to a tally compiled by the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and...

Study: internet sales rose 48% in 2002.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Web retailers will soon be taking a bigger slice of the overall industry sales pie. On-line sales comprised 3.6% of total retail sales in 2002 and are expected to grow to 4.5% in 2003, according to The State of Retailing Online 6.0, the...

Less testosterone at Home Depot.(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... The Home Depot launched its "Do-It-Herself" workshops this week at its entire store base as part of its efforts to woo more female consumers. The retailer also is making some changes to its U.S. stores after successful remodels at its...

This week's retail news nuggets.(multiple briefs)(Brief Article)
May 16, 2003... Target Corp. is reportedly eliminating health-care benefits and vacation for employees who work 20 hours or less each week, according to the Associated Press.... Dollar Tree will spend roughly $100 million to acquire Greenbacks, a 96-store...

New stores, new markets.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Borders will open stores this fall in Louisville, Ky.; Kalispell, Mont.; Carson City, Nev.; and Keene, N.H.... Talbots Kids will open at The Summit in Birmingham, Ala., its first store in the Yellowhammer State.... Mattress Discounters and...

Dick's testing new women's format.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Dick's Clothing & Sporting Goods is testing a new concept, called Ativo, at Crossgate Mall, Albany, N.Y. The 7,000-sq.-ft. store is devoted to women's athletic/lifestyle apparel and footwear and includes a space reserved for related lectures...

Signs point to a positive future after April sales increase 3.2%.
May 9, 2003... Easter fell early last year and late this year. One way to avoid awkward comparisons between the two periods is to regard sales data for the March-April period for both 2002 and 2003. That said, comparable-store sales rose 1.5% for the recent...

Donald Shaffer resigned.(Dollar General)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Donald Shaffer resigned as president and COO of Dollar General....

North West Co.(Leo Charriere to be executive vice president)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... TruServ Canada president and CEO Leo Charriere will leave the company, effective May 15, to accept a job as executive VP, CFO and secretary of Canadian retailer North West Co....

Too, Inc.(Lece Lohr appointed senior vice president)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Too, Inc. appointed Lece Lohr senior VP, general merchandise manager of sportswear....

Galyan's Trading Co.(Jeff Brown named senior vice president)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Former Kaufmann's executive Jeff Brown was named senior VP, general merchandise manager of Galyan's Trading Co....

Goody's Family Clothing.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Goody's Family Clothing promoted Jeffrey Goodfriend to VP of strategic initiatives....

Chanel, Inc.(Maureen Chiquet named president-elect )(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Maureen Chiquet resigned from her post as president of Banana Republic to accept a role as president-elect at Chanel, Inc....

Value City Department Stores.(Jerald Politzer named executive vice president for Filene's Basement)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Value City Department Stores hired Jerald Politzer as executive VP of merchandising for its Filene's Basement unit....

Eckerd.(Enzo Cerra named senior vice president)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Eckerd named Enzo Cerra senior VP of its 600-store Florida group....

Gymboree's Janie and Jack.(Beverly Stern steps down)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Beverly Stern stepped down as senior VP, general merchandise manager of Gymboree's Janie and Jack format....

WinnDixie Stores, Inc.(Allen Rowland to retire)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... WinnDixie Stores, Inc. president and CEO Allen Rowland will retire this June, the end of the company's fiscal year. He will be replaced by COO Frank Lazaran, who also will assume Rowland's seat on the board....

Linens 'n Things.(Bill Giles named executive vice president)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Linens 'n Things named Bill Giles executive VP, CFO....

Kathy Lee resigned.(general merchandising manager of bebe stores)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Kathy Lee resigned as general merchandising manager of bebe stores.

Kmart: out of bankruptcy, into the heat.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... It's up to Kmart now to walk the walk. The retailer emerged this week from bankruptcy and now finds itself confronting the daunting task of making money in the ultra-competitive discount sector. Kmart expects 2003 to be a money-losing...

Fleming disposing of distribution units.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... After closing some facilities dedicated to Kmart, Fleming said this week it will shutter the operations of five more of its wholesale divisions. The company will close the grocery wholesale operations in Phoenix; Salt Lake City; Warsaw, N.C.;...

Buffet buys Wal-Mart's McLane business.(Berkshire Hathaway acquires McLane grocery from Wal-Mart)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... For Wal-Mart, it's all about retailing. The company sold its McLane grocery distribution business to Berkshire Hathaway, the company headed by Warren Buffet, for about $1.5 billion. In fiscal year 2003, McLane accounted for $14.9 billion of...

Ahold names former IKEA head as CEO.(Anders Moberg )(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Looking for a new face to lead it out of an accounting scandal, Royal Ahold appointed Anders Moberg as its new chief executive. He succeeds Cees van der Hoeven, who resigned in February. Moberg had previously served as chief executive of IKEA...

L.L. Bean shows interest in Eddie Bauer.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Speculation of a merger between longtime rivals hit the airwaves this week, as L.L. Bean reportedly informed the court overseeing the Spiegel bankruptcy hearings that it has an interest in the Eddie Bauer assets. If the rumor holds truth,...

This week's retail news nuggets.(Spartan Stores Inc. to sell assets of distribution subsidiaries)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Spartan Stores, Inc. will sell nearly all of the assets of its convenience-store distribution subsidiaries L&L/Jiroch Co. and J.F. Walker Co. to The H.T. Hackney Co. for $42 million. The two divisions reported sales of $720 million in the...

New stores, new markets.(includes multiple news briefs)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Bed Bath & Beyond opened two stores in former Service Merchandise locations. The stores are located in Tyler, Texas, and Antioch, Tenn.... Electronics Boutique leased space at Buckner Commons Shopping Center in Dallas.... West Marine just...

Separately, Visa and MasterCard settle lawsuits with retailers.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... In a decision that will reduce the fees retailers pay on some debit-card purchases, Visa USA and MasterCard International agreed to settle their respective lawsuits this week with the nation's leading retailers, which claim they paid $8...

Studies show sales growth on horizon.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Encouraged by the near end of the war in Iraq, consumers and retail executives are painting a rosier picture for future spending. Consumer confidence rose sharply in April to 81.0, up from 61.4 in March, according to the Conference Board. The...

Eddie Bauer to shutter 60 stores.(as part of Spiegel Inc.'s bankrupcty reorganization)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... As part of its effort to emerge from bankruptcy, The Spiegel Group said this week that it will shutter 60 Eddie Bauer stores in 25 states and the District of Columbia. The move comes just one week after Spiegel said it would shutter all of...

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.(promotes Tom Coughlin)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Tom Coughlin was promoted to executive VP and vice chairman of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Also, Richard Baker, the COO of Wal-Mart's Asda division, will leave to take over as CEO of British drug chain Boots Group on Sept. 15....

Pep Boys.(hires Lawrence Stevenson as director, CEO)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Pep Boys appointed Lawrence Stevenson as CEO and a director of the company. He most recently was CEO of Canadian book chain Chapters. Pep Boys plans to elect a nonexecutive chairman later this month....

Kmart.(hires Harold Lueken as a senior vice president)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Kmart appointed Harold Lueken as senior VP, general counsel, effective May 12....

Galyan's Trading Co.(hires Galen Erickson)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Galyan's Trading Co. named Galen Erickson as senior VP of logistics....

Barnes & Noble, Inc.(announces personnel moves)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... At Barnes & Noble, Inc.: Larry Zilavy was promoted to executive VP of corporate finance and strategic planning, and Joseph Lombardi was promoted to CFO....

Goody's Family Clothing.(hires John Wise)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... John Wise was named senior VP of marketing and advertising of Goody's Family Clothing....

Ethan Allen.(announces personnel moves)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Edward Teplitz was named VP, general manager of Ethan Allen's 120-store retail division. Also, Sandra Lamenza was appointed VP of marketing and Jack DeKorne was named VP of merchandising.

Has GNC been put on the selling block?(Royal Numico is rumored to be divesting health chain)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... GNC may soon be auctioned off by its corporate parent, Dutch company Royal Numico. A report in this week's Pittsburgh Post Gazette said that Royal Numico will begin looking at offers for the 5,000-plus store chain next month. It bought GNC...

Study: name brand logos losing luster.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Has the American consumer lost her interest in name brand logos? Not exactly, but a new study conducted by research consultancy Brand Keys discovered that shoppers are placing less of an emphasis on the importance of labels. When asked how...

Toys `R' Us experimenting with formats.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Never one to back away from testing new concepts, Toys "R" Us, Inc. has been experimenting with a new store format at four locations. Titled Geoffrey, the concept averages roughly 42,500 sq. ft. and combines elements of all three of the...

Apple sells tunes on line for 99 cents apiece.(company debuts iTunes Music Store)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... America now has a high-tech, music lover's version of a dollar-only store. Computer giant Apple unveiled its iTunes Music Store this week, an on-line virtual store of 200,000 songs, all available to download for 99 cents each. The service...

This week's retail news nuggets.(includes multiple brief articles)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Stein Mart closed two locations in Texas and Arkansas and plans to close one other store in Wisconsin later this month. Thirteen other stores will place going-out-of-business signs in their windows in the coming weeks. The 16 units accounted...