Chain Store Age Executive Fax articles from November 2001

Chain Store Age Executive Fax archives from November 2001

NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Guitar Center added a store in Modesto, Calif. Dollar General leased space in Albany, Ga. Lowe's opened its first of three planned stores in Nebraska last week in Omaha. Borders will open at the end of the month in Sunnyvale,...

CVS TO SHUTTER 200 STORES, ONE DC AFTER 3Q EARNINGS PLUMMET 22.1%.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... A 22.1% reduction in third-quarter earnings this week has spurred CVS to dose roughly 5% of its stores. The retailer will shutter 200 of its 4,100 stores, close its distribution center in Henderson, N.C., and improve its in-store service in an...

SURVEY: LESS GROWTH, MORE RENOVATION.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Retailers will renovate more stores than last year; but will spend less money to do so. The findings come from a survey by Display & Design Ideas magazine with cooperation from the National Association of Store Fixture Manufacturers. An average...

SUPERMARKET PROFITABILITY INCREASES.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Net profits were the highest; they have been in three decades for the supermarket industry, according to the Food Marketing Institute's 2000-2001 Annual Financial Review. Profits were 1.25% of sales, while operating income came in at 3.03%....

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS.(Kroger promoted Bruce Macaulay to group VP)(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Kroger promoted Bruce Macaulay to group VP of grocery merchandising. He has been with the company for 27 years and recently was VP of merchandising for its Cincinnati/Dayton division. CVS gave David Rickard, its executive VP and CFO, the...

TEEN SPENDING UP AS MALL VISITS FALL.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 2001... Here's a news flash: Parents and kids don't see eye-to-eye when the topic is teen spending. Parents estimated their teen-age children spent $22 in addition to what the parents spent on teen apparel. However, teens estimate that they spend $56 a...

DILLARD'S TEAMS WITH NINE WEST FOUNDER.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Looking to boost sales of women's footwear, Dillard's is creating four proprietary lines. The retailer teamed with Vince Camuto, the founder and former CEO of Nine West Group, to develop and produce the footwear lines, which will be produced in...

NRF: HOLIDAY SPENDING TO AVERAGE $940.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 2, 2001... The majority of shoppers (57.2%) will start their holiday shopping in November or the first half of December, according to a new study conducted for the National Retail Federation by Market Facts. What's more, consumers are expected to spend an...

Samuels Jewelers.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Samuels Jewelers will close 38 stores by the end of January 2002.

Fleming will open 75 value-price stores.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Fleming will open 75 value-price stores by the end of 2003.

Sears will open seven Great Indoors stores.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Sears will open seven Great Indoors stores in 2002, rather than the 10 to 15 locations planned earlier.

SuperValu will buy nine Save-A-Lot stores.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... SuperValu will buy nine Save-A-Lot stores in the Southeast from Super Discount Markets (SDM), a former licensee of the grocer/wholesaler. SDM will also sell 19 Cub Foods franchised locations in Georgia that it has operated for roughly 15 years....

Home Depot.(Brief Article)
November 2, 2001... Home Depot is selling its nine stores in Chile and Argentina. Argentina is currently in the fourth year of a recession.

HALLOWEEN TRICKS, NOT TREATS AS OCTOBER COMPS INCREASE 2.3%.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
November 9, 2001... Value continues to rule the retail world. Despite heavy promotions of Halloween-related merchandise and other goods at department stores and apparel shops, consumers instead flocked to discounters, wholesale clubs and value-oriented retailers....

NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS.(Brief Article)
November 9, 2001... Orchids, a unit of Gadzooks, opened at The Woodlands Mall and at Baybrook Mall, both in Houston. Two more Orchid stores will open later this month in Dallas and Kenner, La. Jos. A. Bank Clothiers opened in Dallas and Marlton, N.J. H.E....

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS.(promotions and appointments)(Brief Article)
November 9, 2001... Walgreens promoted George Riedl to VIP of purchasing, replacing Robert Sgarlata. At Staples, Paul Gaffney was named CIO, effective Jan. 7, and Brian Light was promoted to executive VP of StaplesDirect.com. The Pep Boys named Jeff...

HOLIDAY FORECAST.(more presents of gift certificates and cash this year)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 9, 2001... More consumers will give gift certificates and cash this holiday season in lieu of actual gifts, according to a study by America's Research Group (ARG). Also, 62% of consumers will shop at stores that donate a portion of their revenues to help...

MALL TRAFFIC FALLS.(fell 5.3% in October)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 9, 2001... Mall traffic in October fell 5.3%, according to the RCT National Retail Traffic Index. Traffic during the trick-or-treat holiday week was down 8.2%. So far this year, retail traffic is down 3.5%.

HOUSE2HOME FOLDS, FILES FOR CHAPTER 11.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 9, 2001... The conversion of HomeBase to the House2Home format apparently was not enough to save the company. House2Home filed for bankruptcy protection this week and is looking to liquidate its 42 stores. Roughly 4,700 employees will be affected by the...

Stop & Shop.(new energy-saving store)(Brief Article)
November 9, 2001... Stop & Shop debuted an energy-saving store in Foxboro, Mass. The format is expected to reduce energy usage by 30%. Features include numerous skylights, dimming controls, high-efficiency luminaires and

A&P brought its Canadian-based Food Basics.(discount format to New Jersey)(Brief Article)
November 9, 2001... A&P brought its Canadian-based Food Basics format to Passaic, N.J. Food Basics stores, which average 25,000 sq. ft. and carry about 8,000 SKUs, combine low prices with an everyday low cost structure. A&P is expected to open another Food Basics...

The Bon Marche.(new store in Helena, Montana)(Brief Article)
November 9, 2001... The Bon Marche opened a freestanding store in Helena, Mont., at the Northside Center. The 65,000-sq.-ft. store features shopping carts, customer call boxes, a single entrance and centralized checkouts. It is expected to serve as a blueprint for...

Eckerd.(remodeling 80% of stores)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 9, 2001... Eckerd will spend roughly $210 million to remodel its stores with wider aisles and more product promotion. By the end of fiscal 2003, Eckerd says 80% of its stores will be remodeled.

SURVEY SAYS: AMERICANS WILL 'BURROW'.(turning to home, family and friends for stability)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 9, 2001... It comes as no surprise: Americans are turning to home, family and friends to find the stability and security that is missing in other areas of their life, according to a study conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide. Since the attacks on the nation...

THIS WEEK RETAIL NEWS NUGGETS.(Brief Article)
November 9, 2001... Wal-Mart will build a food distribution center in Fayette County, Ohio.... Gibson's Discount Center will close its stores in Billings and Helena, Mont. Quality Stores and Southwest Supermarkets have both filed for bankruptcy...

New stores, new markets.(Sharper Image)(Brief Article)
November 16, 2001... The Sharper Image added a store in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and at Chandler (Ariz.) Fashion Square.... Sam's Club opened in Fresno, Calif.... Younkers will open a store in the Oakland Mall in Eau Claire, Wis., in April.... 99 Cents Only Stores...

Store closings continue at Ames, retailer exiting four markets.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 16, 2001... Ames Department Stores is embarking on its second wave of store closings in four months. The retailer said this week that it will shutter 16 stores in five states, a move that will see the discount chain exit four markets, and states,...

Times Square Toys 'R' Us opening tomorrow.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2001... After more than 18 months in development, Toys "R" Us will finally open the doors to its new international flagship in New York City's Times Square tomorrow. The 110,000-sq.-ft. store spreads across four floors and boasts more than 20 feature...

Discount chains are top destination.(for this holiday season's shopping)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 16, 2001... Two surveys suggest that discount retailers are poised to capture the largest share of foot traffic, and most likely sales, this holiday season. Roughly 80% of those polled in a survey conducted by Kmart and Capital One say they will conduct a...

People in the news.(executive promotions and hires)(Brief Article)
November 16, 2001... John McDonald was named executive VP, CFO of Kmart. He succeeds Jeffrey Boyer, who had been in the position just six months.... Michael Devine is stepping down as CFO of mothers Work, at the end of the month to join Coach as senior VP, CFO....

Two retailers reduce work forces.(OfficeMax and Payless ShoeSource)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 16, 2001... OfficeMax expects to save about $3 million annually now that it has reduced its corporate staff by roughly 50 positions. The majority of the cuts occurred in the middle management and information technology fields. In related news, Payless...

Quality stores shuttering 89 stores.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2001... Two weeks after filing for bankruptcy protection, Quality Stores is closing 89 stores in six states to streamline its operations. A joint venture group comprised of Hilco Merchant Resources and The Ozer Group began liquidating roughly $37...

International growth at Wal-Mart.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2001... Wal-Mart is expanding its operations in two current foreign markets and will debut in another. The company will acquire 30 stores in and around Tokyo from failed Japanese supermarket retailer Mycal. It originally planned to buy 100 stores....

Financial roundup for eight retailers.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 16, 2001... Wal-Mart: earnings rose 8% to $1.5 billion; comps increased 6.7%; and total sales were up 15.5% to $52.7 billion in the third quarter ended Oct. 31.... May Department Stores: earnings decreased 38.8% to $52 million; comps dropped 6.1%; and...

News nuggets.(retailers open and close stores)(Brief Article)
November 16, 2001... A&P will close 39 stores and take a charge of roughly $120 million.... Dillard's will close its store in Cleveland in January.... Fred Meyer has installed 15 manned in-store Ticketmaster outlets in southern Washington and Oregon.... The...

Sport Chalet. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Sport Chalet opened a store in Henderson, Nev.

A.J. Wright and Ace Hardware. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... A.J. Wright and Ace Hardware will each occupy half of a former Dominick's shop in River Grove, Ill.

Factory 2-U Stores. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Factory 2-U Stores added a store in Tulsa, Okla.

Galyans. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Galyan's leased space in a former Montgomery Ward stare in Nibs, Ill.

The Buckle. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... The Buckle plans to add roughly 14 stores in 2002.

Jos. A. Bank. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Jos. A. Bank opened in Arlington, Va., and Columbus, Ohio.

Vons, a unit of Safeway, is adding a Pavilions. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Vons, a unit of Safeway, is adding a Pavilions supermarket in Ventura, Calif.

Urban Outfitters plans to open an Anthropologic. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Urban Outfitters plans to open an Anthropologic store before the end of the year.

Kohls. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Kohl's will enter the Houston market in March 2002 with a dozen stores.

Macys. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Macy's is building a store at the Promenade Mall in Temecula, Calif.

Arden B. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Arden B. just opened in Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Fashion Square.

Smith & Hawken. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Smith & Hawken added a store in Deer Park (Ill.) Town Center.

King Soopers. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... King Soopers plans to build a supermarket in Stapleton, Colo.

Staples. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).
November 30, 2001... Staples added a store in Phoenixville, Pa.

T.J. Maxx. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... T.J. Maxx relocated its store in Marlton (N.J.) Crossing. A sister chain, Home Goods, will take over the vacated spot.

Snyders. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Snyder's will add four stores in the Minneapolis area by yearend.

Raymour & Flanagan Furniture. (NEW STORES, NEW MARKETS).(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Raymour & Flanagan Furniture opened a store in Whitehall, Pa.

Kmart Expands Fleming Deal, 3Q Losses Widen To $224 Million.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 30, 2001... It was a busy week for Kmart. One day after it reported that its third-quarter losses more than tripled, the discount chain expanded its supply agreement with Fleming to include meat, produce, frozen foods, dairy, candy and tobacco. Kmart...

Sold: Brooks Bros. Finally Finds A Home.(acquired by Retail Brand Alliance)(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Consumers are not the only ones shopping in the bargain bins. Retail Brand Alliance (RBA) is spending $225 million in cash to acquire Brooks Bros. from Marks & Spencer, a fraction of the $750 million the British retailer spent in 1998 to buy...

Haverty Furniture Buying Seven Stores.(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Haverty Furniture will add $12 million in sales next year and roughly $43 million in sales in 2003 as a result of buying seven former HomeLife stores. The company is buying four of the stores and leasing the three. All seven stores will...

Elder-Beerman. (PEOPLE IN THE NEWS).(appoints Susan Ryckman)(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Elder-Beerman appointed Susan Ryckman senior VP, general merchandising manager of ladies' apparel.

Fraud A Concern For E-Retailers.(according to 2001 Online Fraud Report by CyberSource Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 30, 2001... A new report shows that credit-card fraud is still a major concern for a number of e-retailers and that the majority of those surveyed have trouble accurately detecting fraud. According to the 2001 Online Fraud Report, sponsored by CyberSource...

Discounts May Not Equal Higher Sales.(according to study by Consumer Business Practice of Deloitte and Touche)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 30, 2001... While American consumers are flocking to retail stores as a result of heavy promotions, 71% say they do not plan to spend additional dollars as a result of deep discounting, according to a study conducted by the Consumer Business Practice of...

McCrory Corp. Begins Liquidation Sales.(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... It appears the second bankruptcy filing proved too great for McCrory Corp. The company began going-out-of-business sales this week at roughly 200 stores in 25 states. The sales are being conducted with the assistance of Buxbaum Group. McCrory,...

Safe Way Abandons E-Grocery Program.(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Deeming that the investment needed to make an on-line shopping service worthwhile was too great, Safeway abandoned its e-grocer pilot program. The retailer had been testing a Web service titled Collect in eight stores since April. The program...

Ace Hardware opened an Ace Homeplace. (THIS WEEK'S RETAIL NEWS NUGGETS).(in Japan)(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Ace Hardware opened an Ace Homeplace store in Rokko Island, a suburb of Kobe City near Osaka, Japan, earlier this month.

Ames. (THIS WEEK'S RETAIL NEWS NUGGETS).(closes Ohio distribution center)(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Ames will shutter its distribution center in Columbus, Ohio, affecting roughly 450 employees.

Winn-Dixie. (THIS WEEK'S RETAIL NEWS NUGGETS).(plans Atlanta Save Rite stores)(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Winn-Dixie plans to bring its warehouse style Save Rite format to the Atlanta metropolitan area.

Raleys. (THIS WEEK'S RETAIL NEWS NUGGETS).(to add gas stations)(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Raley's plans to add gas stations in select stores. The grocer also reportedly has plans to open a convenience store format called Raley's Jr. at some stores.

Walgreens enlisted General Electric. (THIS WEEK'S RETAIL NEWS NUGGETS).(to provide online purchasing, trading services)(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Walgreens enlisted General Electric to provide on-line purchasing and trading services. Also, Walgreens is now selling Payless ShoeSource gift cards at point-of-purchase displays at more than 3,500 stores.

The Right Start. (THIS WEEK'S RETAIL NEWS NUGGETS).(to acquire FAO Schwarz stores)(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... The Right Start is spending roughly $50 million to acquire 23 FAO Schwarz stores, including its Fifth Avenue flagship in Manhattan, and the company's Web and catalog operations. FAQ Schwarz' 17 remaining stores are subject to closing.

At Home Depot. (PEOPLE IN THE NEWS).(Robert Nardelli elected chairman)(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... At Home Depot: CEO and president Robert Nardelli was elected chairman, effective Jan. 1, 2002; and CIO Ron Griffin is resigning.

Ahold USA. (PEOPLE IN THE NEWS).(Jon Wilken, Dean Cohagen appointed)(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... A hold USA named Jon Wilken president of c-stores and Dean Cohagan president and CEO of its BI-LO division.

J. Jill Group. (PEOPLE IN THE NEWS).(appoints Peter Clinch)(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... J. Jill Group named Peter Clinch VP of inventory management.

PET&MARTs. (PEOPLE IN THE NEWS).(CFO Jim Daniel resigns)(Brief Article)
November 30, 2001... Jim Daniel resigned as PET&MART's CFO. Former CFO Thomas Liston will serve as interim CFO until a replacement is found. Also, Susanne Eiselberg was named senior VP, chief marketing officer.