Marketing

Huntington Beach, Calif. -- BJ's Restaurants on Tuesday announced the opening of its newest restaurant in Tyler, Texas on Feb. 28.

The new, 8,000-sq.-ft. BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse is the newest addition to the 650,000-sq.-ft. Broadway Square Mall.

According to Jerry Deitchle, chairman and CEO of BJ’s, the company is on track to open as many as 12 to 13 new restaurants during 2011 and currently has six new restaurants under construction for planned openings later this year.

SEATTLE -- Recreational Equipment Inc. announced that Sue Sallee joined the company in the newly created position of VP accounting and finance. The company has also promoted Angela Owen, Tim Spangler and Tom Vogl to SVPs  of the merchandising, retail, and marketing divisions respectively.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The nation’s largest automotive parts retailer announced another quarter of record results in which earnings per share advanced nearly 36% to $3.34 on same-store sales that grew 7.1% for the quarter ended Feb.12.

Profits at the nation’s largest pet specialty chain surged 26% during the fourth quarter as same-store sales advanced 6.3% and total sales grew 8.1% to $1.5 billion.

“Our third consecutive quarter of accelerating comparable transactions growth as well as a strong holiday performance led to better-than-expected results for the quarter,” said PetSmart president and CEO Bob Moran.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — As previously announced and widely reported, March 1 marks the day that Larry Merlo officially assumes the role of CEO of CVS Caremark. Merlo, who now serves as president and CEO, succeeds Tom Ryan, who remains nonexecutive chairman until his retirement at the company's Annual Meeting of Shareholders in May.

PITTSBURGH — A new leader has been named for a maker of shelf-stable seafood products.

StarKist named In-Soo Cho as president and CEO of the company. Prior to joining StarKist, Cho was the principal of his own consulting firm, Insight & Strategy, with a focus on consumer goods and the restaurant industry.

Cho will assume his new office on March 1.

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- Stater Bros. chairman and CEO Jack Brown has joined the likes of Bob Hope, Will Rogers and Ronal Reagan as a recipient of the prestigious Patriot Award, the company announced. 

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society presented Brown with the award on Feb. 26 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., where 45 Medal of Honor recipients and other notable guests were gathered, the company reported.

SALISBURY, N.C. -- Food Lion is promoting its private labels by offering its loyalty club members the opportunity to earn up to $10 in free groceries when they buy private brand products through March 29. 

New York City -- Forest City Enterprises announced Tuesday that, as part of the company’s succession planning process, current president and CEO Charles A. Ratner will become chairman of the board, and will be succeeded as president and CEO by David J. LaRue, currently executive VP and COO.

The changes will be effective following Forest City's annual meeting of shareholders on June 10.

Ossining, N.Y. -- Tarrytown, N.Y.-based Infill Development, LLC, affiliate of DLC Management Corp., announced the groundbreaking of a new development project in Ossining, N.Y. A stand-alone Walgreens will be constructed on the site of a former strip center, a New York State Brownfields site which is scheduled to undergo demolition shortly.

The new 9,483-sq.-ft. Walgreens store is slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2011.