Strategy

WinCo Foods LLC is marking its 100th store opening with a huge celebration in Texas on May 7.

The newest WinCo Foods store is located at 1288 W. Main St. in Lewisville and is the fifth WinCo Foods store to open in Texas. Occupying approximately 83,000 square feet the store will initially employ approximately 150 individuals, about 140 of whom have been hired locally.

Weis Markets says its customer experience strategy is paying off, as the grocery chain credited the effort with its increase in same store sales in the first quarter.

ChannelAdvisor Corp. has promoted its current chief operating officer to CEO.

The provider of cloud-based e-commerce solutions announced that its board of directors has appointed David Spitz as CEO and a director. Spitz, who currently serves as president and COO, succeeds Scot Wingo, who has been appointed executive chairman.

New York -- O’Reilly Automotive posted a strong first quarter, laying the foundation for continued growth in 2015. America’s second largest retailer in the automotive aftermarket industry said its expansion plans are on track after profit rose in the first quarter on higher sales and better margins, continuing a trend of 15% or greater profit growth for the past six years. The company said it plans to build a new distribution center in Texas to help support its 205 new stores in 2015.

New York -- Expansion plans are under way at surging Tractor Supply Co., which had a 5.7% increase in same store sales and a 19% increase in earnings in the first quarter.

The Tennessee-based retailer said it plans to open 110 to 115 new stores in 2015, as well as build a new distribution center in Casa Grande, Ariz. For the first quarter, same store transaction count increased 4.8% and average ticket increased 0.8%. Pet and heating consumables, fencing, truck accessories and tools all performed well, the company said.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is shuffling a number of key executives and also tinkering with its organizational structure. Veteran Wal-Mart operator Mike Moore, who currently serves as executive VP of the 613-unit Neighborhood Market division, will transition to a new executive VP role with oversight of Wal-Mart’s much larger 3,421-unit supercenter operation in the U.S.

Assuming Moore’s previous position is Wal-Mart West executive VP Julie Murphy.

Hoboken, N.J. – Amazon.com may be hoping to fly high with drone-based deliveries, but a rival e-commerce platform is also planning to take off soon. Jet.com, a subscription-based e-commerce site that hopes to compete with the Amazon Prime membership service using “profit-free” pricing, promises to launch soon.

Lakeland, Fla. – Publix Super Markets Inc. satisfied the public in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. The retailer’s net income jumped 11% to $548.9 million from $493.7 million in the same period a year earlier.

Sales were $8.3 billion, a 7% increase from $7.8 billion. Same-store sales increased 5.3%.

Publix stock is not publicly traded and is made available for sale only to current Publix associates and members of its board of directors.

Seattle - REI will open a third distribution center, located in Goodyear, Arizona. The specialty outdoor retailers seeks to better support its stores and customers through faster product replenishment and delivery.

Greenboro, N.C. – The Fresh Market Inc. has elected Michael D. Casey, CEO and a director of Carter’s Inc., and Robert K. Shearer, formerly CFO of V.F. Corp, and currently a director of Church & Dwight Co. Inc., as independent directors. With these additions, The Fresh Market’s board has nine directors, eight of whom are independent directors.