Strategy

7-Eleven Inc. is taking its mantra of "what customers want, when and where they want it" a giant step further through a new partnership with the Postmates app.

The company has introduced on-demand delivery through Postmates iOS, Android or web app, in Northern California. An assortment of 7-Eleven's products from hot foods and snacks to cold beverages and other convenience items is just a few taps away and will be delivered by Postmates to customers in an hour or less.

The Modesto, Ca.-based Save Mart chain of 217 supermarkets has embarked on a major rebranding effort in the Bay Area where a new 61,000-sq.-ft. protoype bears a reimagined Lucky California banner.

The parent company of Winn-Dixie, BI-LO and Harveys said all profits generated at its nearly 800 stores on July 4 will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

The project’s Independence Program is designed to help warriors who need to rely on their families and friends for support due to injuries they have suffered, such as brain injury, spinal-cord injury, or other neurological conditions. Individualized plans are created with goals to provide a future with purpose at no cost to the warriors or their support teams.

Philadelphia -- The Pep Boys – Manny, Moe & Jack is reviewing its options.

The chain announced that its board directors has commenced a review of strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder value, including a possible sale, merger or other form of business combination or strategic transaction.

New York -- The off-price segment is on fire, but newcomers to the sector should watch out, warns a report by Moody’s Investors Service.

The U.S. off-price apparel and home products segment continues to grow rapidly as consumers who developed a taste for cheaply priced luxury goods during the recession keep up their hunt for bargains, Moody's Investors Service said in a new report.

St. Louis -- Ikea is expanding in the Midwest.

The chain will open a store in St. Louis on Sept. 30. It will be the Swedish company’s first store in Missouri, and 41st in the United States.  

The 380,000-sq.-ft. St. Louis Ikea is being built on 21 acres along Interstate-64 at Vandeventer Avenue. It will house Missouri’s largest rooftop solar array, consistent with the Ikea renewable energy presence at 90% of its U.S. locations.

Cincinnati -- Kroger now finds itself in need of a COO.  

In an abrupt announcement, Kroger on Tuesday said president and COO Mike Ellis has retired after 40 years with the company. The grocer said a successor will be named at a later date.
 

Hudson, Ohio -- Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores announced a key hire in marketing, and a promotion in merchandising.

Jo-Ann has hired Amy Parker as senior VP, marketing & advertising. Most recently, Amy was the chief marketing officer for Pet Supplies Plus and prior, chief marketing officer for the home division at Sears Holdings.

Previously, she was with Michaels, Toys “R” Us, and several other multi-unit chains.

Washington, D.C. -- Retailers and restaurant owners can expect their labor costs to rise under a new proposal from the Obama administration.

On Tuesday, the Department of Labor unveiled a proposal whereby salaried workers who earn up to $50,440 a year would be eligible for time-and-a-half overtime wages when they work more than 40 hours per week. That is more than double the current threshold of $23,660, or $455 per week, established in 2004.

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