Strategy

Minneapolis -- Grocery retailer Roundy’s said it had entered into definitive agreements to sell 18 Rainbow stores in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market to a group of local grocers, including Supervalu.

The sale price is $65 million, and Roundy’s said it is seeking buyers for a remaining nine Rainbow stores so that it can fully exit the Minneapolis/St. Paul market.

The transaction is expected to close during the third quarter of this year.

Indianapolis — Simon Property Group plans to distribute all of the common shares of Washington Prime Group Inc. to Simon stockholders. Following the distribution, Washington Prime will be an independent, publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “WPG.”

Washington Prime (www.washingtonprime.com) will own or have an interest in 54 strip centers and 44 smaller enclosed malls across the United States, comprising approximately 53 million sq. ft.

Ottawa, Canada -- 360pi, a leading provider of retail price and product intelligence, announced a collaborative effort with SAS, a leader in business analytics software and services. The goal is to allow retailers who combine 360pi's competitive price intelligence with SAS' revenue optimization engine to gain full real-time visibility into competitive pricing to make more profitable pricing decisions.

PetSmart is hitting the road for its first-ever Inspiration Waggin’ six-city tour in the United States and Canada, and is leveraging social media to promote it.

As the truck makes its way across the country, dogs, puppies and cats will visit retirement centers, university campuses and local spots so people can benefit from a wagging tail and some unconditional love. The Inspiration Waggin’ will make stops in:

New York - Uniqlo announced it will enter two new markets, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, starting this spring. The Japanese apparel giant will open three stores in the Philadelphia market and six stores in the Boston metro area.  In addition, Uniqlo will open a pop-up shop at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, early this summer.

Uniqlo will enter Pennsylvania with three stores in the greater Philadelphia area:

• King of Prussia Mall, King of Prussia (May 16)
• 1608 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia (Oct. 3)

Despite the Easter holiday shift, Whole Foods reported second-quarter revenue of $3.32 billion, a record increase of 10% from the prior-year quarter. But the record was not enough for Wall Street, which expected $3.34 billion.

The company’s earnings per share of 38 cents for the quarter also came in below expectations of 41 cents per share.

The timing of the Easter holiday, which was observed in last year’s first quarter but this year’s second, affected Weis Market’s first quarter results for the period ended March 29.

The company's sales for the quarter increased 0.6% to $687.1 million while its comparable store sales for the quarter decreased 1.3% compared to the same period a year ago.

North Bergen, N.J. -- Vitamin Shoppe reported flat net income for the first quarter, at $20.5 million. Sales during the period grew 10.3% to $307.8 million, boosted by e-commerce strength, and same-store sales increased 3.6%.

“We are continuing to make investments in our omni-channel initiative to further enhance our customers overall experience," said Tony Truesdale, CEO.

The company opened nine stores in the quarter, including one in Canada. It said it plans to open 60 new stores in 2014.