Mass Market Retailers articles from May 2006

Mass Market Retailers archives from May 2006

Target sets meeting.(Target Corp shareholders annual meeting)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... TARGET SETS MEETING: Target Corp. has scheduled its annual shareholders meeting at an as-yet-unopened store in the Atlanta suburbs. The meeting, set for May 17, will be at what will be the company's latest version of its SuperTarget format. The...

Meijer opens store.(Meijer Inc five new stores )(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... MEIJER OPENS STORE: Meijer Inc. recently opened the first of five new stores this year, a 207,000-square-foot outlet in Normal, Ill. The other stores, executives say, will be identical in size. "It's always exciting to open a new store,"...

Family Dollar adds VP.(appointment of Boris Zelmanovich )(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... FAMILY DOLLAR ADDS VP: Family Dollar Stores Inc. has named Boris Zelmanovich vice president of merchandising strategy and operations. A four-year veteran of the company and a former consultant, Zelmanovich has held a variety of executive...

New Giant prototype.(Giant Food LLC )(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... NEW GIANT PROTOTYPE: Giant Food LLC has opened its latest prototype, a 68,000-square-foot Super Giant in Delaware. The store features enlarged food and pharmacy departments, and it includes a sushi bar, a cheese shop and an expanded prepared...

Walgreens inks deal.(Walgreens Home Care acquired Canadian Valley Medical Solutions Inc)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... WALGREENS INKS DEAL: Walgreens Home Care has completed its previously announced acquisition of Oklahoma City-based Canadian Valley Medical Solutions Inc. The deal enhances Walgreens' ability to offer home-infusion therapy, respiratory services...

Marsh finds a buyer.(Marsh Supermarkets Inc acquired by Sun Capital Partners inc)
May 8, 2006... INDIANAPOLIS -- Six months after management put the chain up for sale Marsh Supermarkets Inc. has signed a letter of intent to be acquired by an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Boca Raton, Fla. The deal is not...

Nash Finch tabs CEO, president.(appointment of Alec Covington)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... MINNEAPOLIS -- Nash Finch Co. has named Alec Covington president and chief executive officer, and has also announced that Covington will be appointed to the company's board of directors. Covington has 30 years of experience in food...

A new Wal-Mart is taking shape.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... ROGERS, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has undertaken a number of initiatives over the last several months to keep its business growing and its customers satisfied. At a media conference last month chief executive officer Lee Scott spoke of...

Court gives Winn-Dixie more time.(Winn-Dixie Stores Inc bankruptcy protection)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Winn-Dixie Stores Inc., which has been operating under bankruptcy protection, has won a 70-day extension to file a reorganization plan without interference from creditors. United States Bankruptcy Judge Jerry Funk has...

Rethinking retail categories.
May 8, 2006... WILTON, Conn. -- The boundaries among supermarkets, drug stores and discount stores have blurred to the point that most shoppers no longer think about retailers in terms of trade class, according to a new study from Cannondale Associates Inc....

Drug Fair CEO.(appointment of Timothy LaBeau )(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... SOMERSET, N.J. -- Drug Fair Group Inc. has named Timothy LaBeau president and chief executive officer, replacing acting chief executive officer Richard Sebastiao. LaBeau has more than 25 years experience in executive and brand management...

Robert Wegman dies at age of 87.(Obituary)(Obituary)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Robert Wegman, who transformed his small family-owned grocery business into one of the nation's largest privately held supermarket chains, died last month. He was 87. Wegman's death was announced in a company statement on...

Panel on employment.(advisory panel )(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... PANEL ON EMPLOYMENT: Wal-Mart has established an employment practices advisory panel and appointed its first two members, former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer and lawyer and civil rights activist Vilma Martinez. The panel will work with senior...

Pricing settlement.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... PRICING SETTLEMENT: Wal-Mart agreed to pay the largest fine in Michigan history to settle claimed violations of the state's item pricing law. The agreement followed allegations that only one in five items on shelves at four stores were...

Pop-up outlet debut.(Wal-Mart Metro 7 Fashion Cabana)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... POP-UP OUTLET DEBUT: Wal-Mart last month unveiled the Metro 7 Fashion Cabana, its first pop-up outlet, in Miami Beach's trendy South Beach district. The 6,000-square-foot tent housed the entire Metro 7 collection of apparel, accessories and...

Improving benefits.(Wal-Mart improve health care benefits and part time children benefits)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... IMPROVING BENEFITS: Wal-Mart is improving health care benefits for part-time workers, Susan Chambers, executive vice president of the chain's people division, said last month. The company is reducing co-pays on generic medications for such...

Scoreboard.(Chart)
May 8, 2006... SCOREBOARD Quarter Dollar % RETAILERS Ended Sales Change Smart & Final (1) 03/26 446.8 mil +4.5 Weis 04/01 547.8...

Publix shareholders approve stock split.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... PUBLIX SHAREHOLDERS APPROVE STOCK SPLIT: The stockholders of Publix Super Markets Inc. have approved an increase in the retailer's authorized shares to allow a five-for-one split of its common stock, effective July 1. Publix' last stock split,...

Moody's cuts Albertsons, Supervalu ratings.(debt ratings)
May 8, 2006... MOODY'S CUTS ALBERTSONS, SUPERVALU RATINGS: Moody's Investors Services Inc. has reduced its debt ratings of Albertsons Inc. and Supervalu Inc. to "junk" status, citing the expected outcomes of the previously announced sale of Albertsons' assets...

Smart & Final posts first quarter sales gains.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... SMART & FINAL POSTS FIRST QUARTER SALES GAINS: Smart & Final Inc. listed a 4.5% rise in sales to $446.8 million for the quarter ended March 26. Comparable-store sales gained 1.8%. Net income, however, fell 17.4% to $2.5 million as operating...

First quarter net down at Tuesday morning.(Tuesday Morning Corp Net earnings )(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... FIRST QUARTER NET DOWN AT TUESDAY MORNING: Net earnings of Tuesday Morning Corp., a closeout retailer, slipped from $6.7 million a year ago to $6.5 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2006, which ended March 31. Net sales edged up 1% to...

Biggest gainers.(Table)
May 8, 2006... BIGGEST GAINERS Close Change % Stock 04/21/06 vs. 03/31/06 Change Circuit City 28.76 +4.28 +17.5 Rite Aid 4.48 ...

Biggest losers.(Table)
May 8, 2006... BIGGEST LOSERS Close Change % Stock 04/21/06 vs. 03/31/06 Change A&P 27.50 -7.43 -21.3 Wild Oats 17.73 ...

Most active.(Table)
May 8, 2006... MOST ACTIVE Vol. (000) As a % Change vs. 1 Wk. Ended of Total 1 Wk. Ended Stock 04/21/06 Shares 03/31/06 Smart & Final ...

Rite Aid gets big lift.(SPOTLIGHT)
May 8, 2006... CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Rite Aid Corp.'s bottom line for the fourth quarter and fiscal 2006 soared, thanks to an enormous tax credit and an extra week of sales. On an adjusted basis, however, earnings for the fourth quarter fell short of analysts'...

Delhaize net rises 10.2% in the U.S.(Delhaize America Inc earnings)
May 8, 2006... SALISBURY, N.C. -- Fiscal 2005 proved to be a solid year for Delhaize America Inc., as earnings from ongoing lines advanced better than 10% over the 52 weeks and more than doubled during the fourth quarter. Income from continuing...

Costco tops Wall Street's expectations.(MONEY)
May 8, 2006... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Although second quarter net income at Costco Wholesale Corp. fell 3% due to the comparative effects of a year-ago tax credit, results still exceeded Wall Street's expectations, and the market responded by driving the...

BJ's profits up 12.4% for year.(BJ's Wholesale Club Inc earnings )
May 8, 2006... NATICK, Mass. -- With several special items in play, earnings from continuing operations rose at a faster pace than sales for the 2005 fiscal year and fourth quarter at BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. Adjusted bottom-line results for the final...

Late Easter takes a toll at Weis.(Weis Markets Inc net income )(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... SUNBURY, Pa. -- Weis Markets Inc. reported a 10.9% drop in net income to $14.9 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2006, as sales slipped 0.4% to $547.8 million. Comparable-store sales fell 0.9% in the 13 weeks ended April 1. "Our...

Rx drives gains at Walgreens.(Walgreen Co earnings)
May 8, 2006... DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Walgreen Co. fell just short of analysts' earnings expectations during the three months ended February 28, due to the impact of a mild flu season and exceptional increases in the prior-year period. Sales growth continued...

Mass retailing takes challenge in stride.
May 8, 2006... MMR Special Report -- The world of mass market retailing witnessed a number of major challenges and changes in 2005. With a few notable exceptions, though, the industry has responded confidently and aggressively. First among the...

Stats show consumers shop everywhere.
May 8, 2006... NEW YORK -- Consumers have a large number of retail channels from which to choose, and most are taking advantage of all of them, according to the latest version of ACNielsen's study on channel blurring. Proof can be found in the size of the...

Economic conditions point to a good year: GDP is forecast to grow 4.4% in the first half of '06, 3.2% in the second.
May 8, 2006... NEW YORK -- The mass market retailing industry can expect an accommodating business outlook for the balance of 2006 and throughout 2007, several barometers indicate. Although oil prices have reached record levels and core inflation--which...

Mass market retailers well positioned to benefit.(Annual Report: FINANCIAL OUTLOOK)
May 8, 2006... NEW YORK -- Mass market retailers are looking forward to a promising 2006. Discount chains will grow along with the overall economy and will benefit from an indefatigable wave of consumers. Supermarkets are experiencing somewhat of a revival...

Wal-Mart, target, Costco leaders of the pack.
May 8, 2006... NEW YORK -- The discount store format continues to expand its reach, as operators try to give consumers fewer and fewer reasons to shop anywhere else. One of the latest examples of that trend is the upscale Supercenter that Wal-Mart Stores...

Standing for more than low prices.(Annual Report: DISCOUNT CHAINS)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... NEW YORK -- The discount store industry is known for the ruthless efficiency it employs in order to offer consumers the lowest possible prices. But industry leader Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is trying to keep the efficiency and low prices while...

Wal-Mart decides it can do even better.
May 8, 2006... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- When industry observers look back on 2005 they will very likely see it as a major turning point for the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. For it was a year in which management publicly acknowledged weaknesses...

Sam's one-two-three business philosophy.
May 8, 2006... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- The Sam's Club division of Wal-Mart turned in a solid performance in fiscal 2006, and it appears set for continued progress. Total sales at Sam's rose 7.2% to $39.8 billion during the year, while comparable-store sales...

Supercenters receive rave reviews.(Annual Report: WAL-MART)
May 8, 2006... BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- The Supercenter will continue to be Wal-Mart's primary growth vehicle for quite a while. Last autumn the company announced it would open between 270 and 280 of the food/general merchandise outlets in fiscal 2007, which...

Target has its place as everyone's darling.(departmental stores revenue)
May 8, 2006... MINNEAPOLIS -- Target Corp., a distant No. 2 to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in annual sales, ranks first in buzz. It has won Wall Street's heart with continued double-digit sales gains while continuing to win over consumers with the differentiated...

Marketing prowess sets the bar.(Target corp marketing management)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... MINNEAPOLIS -- Marketing has long been one of Target's strengths. The retailer's advertising so effectively promotes Target as hip and trendy that some analysts actually worry that they are too good--that the in-store experience will not...

Expanded food side has allure.(super stores marketing)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... MINNEAPOLIS -- Food has an important role to play in Target's version of upscale discounting, company officials say. "We will continue to enhance our grocery assortment in our general merchandise and SuperTarget stores," Target president...

Sears remains a work in progress; many people still have questions about what the company represents.(mergers plans)
May 8, 2006... HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- Sears and Kmart are two chains that have suffered through a series of identity crises over the past two decades, but if their merger into Sears Holdings Corp. was intended to bring resolution to that issue for either...

Financial results don't tell clear story.
May 8, 2006... HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- Sears Holdings chairman Edward Lampert's insistence that he plans to create value from the merger of Sears and Kmart through the development of a new powerhouse retail chain appears to have gained credence with...

ShopKo gets new life as private company.
May 8, 2006... GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Three days before the end of 2005 ShopKo Stores Inc. emerged from a raucous bidding war between two determined suitors as a privately held company. In a deal struck on December 28, 2005, a group led by Sun Capital Partners...

Pamida ups pharmacy presence.(Pamida Inc)(Company overview)
May 8, 2006... GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Pamida Inc., a unit of ShopKo Stores since 1999, maintains a small-town identity operating in rural communities with populations that typically range from 3,000 to 8,000. The stores offer a combination of hard lines and soft...

Health care commitment is multifaceted.(ShopKo Express Rx stores)(ShopKo Stores health products and services)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... GREEN BAY, Wis. -- ShopKo Stores has put increasing emphasis on health products and services. In 2005 ShopKo's subsidiary Pamida acquired several local drug stores and subsequently incorporated the newly purchased prescription files into nearby...

New Meijer president to hold course.(Company overview)
May 8, 2006... GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The strategy at Meijer Inc. remains the same: to offer a differentiated one-stop-shopping experience. What has changed is part of the team responsible for executing that strategy. In January of this year Meijer made a...

Zellers feels competitive heat.(Company overview)
May 8, 2006... BRAMPTON, Ontario -- Zellers Inc. continued to struggle in fiscal 2005, finding it increasingly difficult to compete effectively with the Canadian operation of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. While Zellers closed seven stores to wind up with 291 units...

The Costco way continues to pay off big; the retailer offers a limited number of items, keeps costs down, pays well.
May 8, 2006... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Costco Wholesale Corp., the nation's fourth-largest retailer, finished off its 2005 fiscal year last August with double-digit increases in both sales and profit. Moreover, the warehouse club operator has laid the groundwork...

CRX program is rolled out across chain.(Annual Report: COSTCO)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Costco has deployed technology that allows its suppliers to keep track of their products by providing direct, interactive access to Costco's warehouse-specific point-of-sale data--every day and in nearly real time. The...

'You get what you pay for'.(Company overview)
May 8, 2006... ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Despite its success in the cutthroat world of discount retailing, Costco has rejected the conventional wisdom that employers must pay poorly and skimp on benefits to survive. Costco pays its workers a starting hourly wage...

BJ's gets more 'membercentric'.(Company overview)
May 8, 2006... NATICK, Mass. -- BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. had a good year in 2005, posting solid sales and earnings gains and adding to its store base. The company also made a several executive-level personnel changes and launched innovative marketing and...

Fred's feels outside pressure.(Company overview)
May 8, 2006... MEMPHIS -- Regional discounter Fred's Inc. encountered strong headwinds in fiscal 2005 after several years of impressive growth. Most of the major challenges were external, but the chain's management remains confident of achieving its operating...

For supermarketers a year of ups, downs: after 75 years supers continue to demonstrate their staying power.
May 8, 2006... NEW YORK -- When viewed from the perspective of the major headlines during the year, 2005 was at once a period of resilience and retreat in the supermarket industry. It was also the 75th anniversary of the supermarket format, which in itself is...

'One format no longer fits all'.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... WASHINGTON -- A few years ago, when the scope of the threat posed by the supercenter became clear, a number of observers warned that supermarkets could best meet the latest competitive onslaught by creating clearly differentiated stores. The...

Changes at Kroger bode well for future.(Company overview)
May 8, 2006... CINCINNATI -- Kroger Co. moved ahead last year, responding positively to competitive pressures and turning in impressive results. Sales increased 7.3% to $60.6 billion for the full year, while same-store sales increased 5.3% with fuel and...

Statistics show continued growth.(Kroger Co market share)(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... CINCINNATI -- In 2005 Kroger held the No. 1 or No. 2 position in 35 of the 44 major markets in which it operated, according to chairman and chief executive officer David Dillon. In a recent presentation to analysts Dillon noted that Kroger...

Albertsons saga finally comes to an end.(Company overview)
May 8, 2006... BOISE, Idaho -- For Albertsons Inc. 2005 will be notable as the year in which the management of the nation's second-largest supermarket organization threw in the towel and decided the best thing it could do was sell the company. That decision...

Three bidders emerge as winners.
May 8, 2006... BOISE, Idaho -- The agreement to sell the assets of Albertsons to Supervalu, CVS and a consortium headed by Cerberus Capital Management capped a process initiated last September, when Albertsons' management announced that it was exploring...

New merchandising programs just weren't enough.
May 8, 2006... BOISE, Idaho -- In an effort to reignite sales growth, Albertsons has launched a number of merchandising initiatives in recent years. Examples include a new drug store format, a major push at private label development and coordinated...

Safeway lifestyle store gets the job done; these units epitomize the retailer's 'transformation and revitalization'.
May 8, 2006... PLEASANTON, Calif. -- Safeway Inc.'s investment in expansion, store remodeling and brand-building programs has begun to yield fruit, and Steve Burd, the company's chairman, president and chief executive officer, plans to stay the course. ...

Steadily working toward the future.
May 8, 2006... PLEASANTON, Calif. -- Safeway's strategy to improve its competitive position in an increasingly difficult food-retailing environment is starting to pay off. The chain continued to make moves--some of them painful--throughout 2005 in an...

Customer service encompasses health and wellness.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... PLEASANTON, Calif.--Safeway is taking a new approach to helping its customers adopt more healthful lifestyles under the direction of senior vice president of health and wellness David Fong. In September 2005 the chain announced a series of...

Ahold does what's needed, moves ahead.
May 8, 2006... AMSTERDAM -- Ahold NV relies heavily on its supermarket chains in the United States to deliver the better part of its sales and profits, and part of the challenge the retailer has faced in its comeback effort is a result of execution and...

The numbers weren't there.(Company overview)
May 8, 2006... AMSTERDAM -- For Ahold NV 2005 proved to be, in the words of chief executive officer Anders Moberg, a difficult year. Financial results were disappointing, and they compelled Moberg to back away from the extremely ambitious performance goals of...

Stop & Shop/Giant taps insider.(Brief article)
May 8, 2006... AMSTERDAM -- Following a rocky integration of its Giant Food Inc. chain with Stop & Shop Cos. over the past two years, Ahold announced in February that Marc Smith, president and chief executive officer of the Stop & Shop/Giant-Landover arena,...

Food Lion improves on myriad fronts.(Company overview)
May 8, 2006... SALISBURY, N.C. -- Delhaize America Inc. is pursuing a multifaceted growth strategy that includes store openings, fill-in acquisitions and continued store remodeling. Making its stores stand out from the competition as well as improving...

Hannaford pushes envelope; the chain's 'festival for the senses' offers a unique shopping experience.
May 8, 2006... SCARBOROUGH, Me.--The Hannaford Bros. chain is literally a source of "inspirations" for Delhaize America. Hannaford last year debuted an upscale private label line called Inspirations, which has since been expanded to about 600 products....

Kash n' Karry finds new life under Sweetbay banner.
May 8, 2006... TAMPA, Fla.--One of Delhaize America's recent success stories involves the conversion of Kash n' Karry stores in Florida into the Sweetbay Supermarket format. The process began in 2003, when a top executive from Delhaize's Hannaford Bros....

Publix ends year that was a success in every way; the chain provides service levels that most retailers can only dream about.(Company overview)
May 8, 2006... LAKELAND, Fla.--Last year provided plenty to celebrate at Publix Super Markets Inc. For starters, the company broke the $20 billion mark in annual sales for the first time. Fittingly, the supermarket operator achieved the landmark results...

If there's a niche, there's a way to market to it.
May 8, 2006... LAKELAND, Fla.--One of the keys to success for Publix has been its nimbleness in meeting the needs of different consumers in different markets. That flexibility shows up in several ways: in the variety of store environments the chain...

Winn-Dixie: the jury's still out.
May 8, 2006... JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--The future of troubled Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. remains a question mark as the chain looks forward to emergence from Chapter 11 protection this summer. After declaring bankruptcy in February 2005 the company announced...

Supervalu vaults toward no. 2.
May 8, 2006... MINNEAPOLIS--Move over, Target Corp. There's a new heavyweight mass market retailer in town. With the ink barely dry on its deal to acquire 1,124 stores from Albertsons Inc., the management of Supervalu Inc. has hit the road to let the...

A&P focuses on core operation.(revenue reports)
May 8, 2006... MONTVALE, N.J. -- By the end of the fiscal 2004 fourth quarter in May 2005 A&P's chairman and chief executive officer Christian Haub was able to point out that the venerable North American grocer has had some success in trimming its losses from...

H.E.B. marks 100th anniversary; Forbes ranked H.E.B. the 10th-largest private company in the United States.
May 8, 2006... SAN ANTONIO -- H.E. Butt Grocery Co. (H.E.B.) chose to cap off its centennial year by opening the first H.E.B. Plus store in its hometown here. The retailer actually debuted the concept in 2004, opening H.E.B Plus outlets in Waco and San...

Loblaws works its strong points.
May 8, 2006... TORONTO -- The year 2005 was filled with challenges both anticipated and unexpected at Loblaw Cos. In the first quarter the company launched an ambitious structural reorganization to provide greater centralization and efficiency. At the...

Pathmark refuses to give up.
May 8, 2006... CARTERET, N.J. -- Pathmark Stores Inc. has been a trailblazer in many areas of food/drug combination store retailing since its founding in 1968 by Herb Brody, Milton Perlmutter and Alex Aidekman. In recent years, however, it has faced a number...

Drug chains ready to capitalize on Rx growth; industry leaders Walgreens and CVS continue to set the standard.
May 8, 2006... NEW YORK -- The chain drug store industry continued to benefit from demographic and other trends that translated into increased sales and profits in 2005. The pharmacy business in particular has been buoyed by the older members of the...

Retailers meet challenge of Medicare Part D; while the benefit will fuel sales, its impact on profitability is uncertain.
May 8, 2006... NEW YORK -- With the official kickoff of Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage on January 1, 2006, the Medicare program underwent its biggest change since its inception in 1965. It is a step that has been a long time coming, set in motion...

As always, Walgreens is simply superlative.
May 8, 2006... DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Few would argue that if there is one drug chain that sets the standard for all of the others, that chain is Walgreen Co. Founded more than 105 years ago with a single store on Chicago's South Side, Walgreens has grown...

Pharmacy remains the principal driver.
May 8, 2006... DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Walgreens is counting on the aging of America and the growth of the Medicare prescription program to be major factors in its ongoing growth over the next few years. The chain's pharmacy statistics show that the nation's...

CVS keeps making news on all fronts; the retailer will have more than 6,100 stores in 42 states, Washington, D.C.
May 8, 2006... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- As the pharmacy market booms CVS Corp. is in an ideal position to capture a significant share of this growth. With nearly 5,500 stores, CVS is now the leading drug chain in the nation. The retailer ended a spectacular...

Knowing the customer and how to serve her.
May 8, 2006... WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- Women make up a clear majority of CVS Corp. shoppers, and the retailer makes a concerted effort to understand their needs. CVS conducted research to determine what women desire as far as an ideal store layout and an...