Strategy

Seattle – Starbucks is opening a new Evolution Fresh juicery in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., that the retailer says will quadruple its production of cold-pressed, never-heated juice. The $70 million, 264,000-sq.-ft. facility features advanced technology such as High Pressure Processing (HPP) machines.

Following a successful launch in China earlier this year, Hershey is ready to introduce its first new brand to the U.S. market in three decades.

Fremont, Calif. – The Men’s Wearhouse has appointed B. Michael Becker to its board of directors. Becker has served as a director at Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. since January 2008 and is chairman of its audit committee.

Becker spent his career as an audit partner for Ernst & Young LLP from 1979 until his retirement in 2006. He was a senior consultant on airline risks to Pay Pal, Inc. from August 2008 to November 2009.

New York - The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index moved down again in September, showing the second month of small declines. The Index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples announced a new price match policy that the company said ensures customers pay the lowest price – both in stores and online. Staples said it will price match items sold and shipped by Amazon.com or any retailer who sells products in both retail stores and online under the same brand.

Safeway plans to exit the Chicago market where it operates 72 supermarkets under the Dominick’s banner by early 2014 after posting third quarter profits that were roughly half those of the comparable period the prior year.
The decision to exit Chicago follows similar move earlier this year when Safeway announced the sale of its Canadian operations.

New York -- Whole Foods Market has signed a lease for a 29,000-sq-ft. store in Newark, N.J., according to the Newark Star-Ledger.

The store is expected to be an anchor tenant in a 112-year-old landmark building that was once occupied by the Hahne & Co. department store. The building is being converted into a multi-use space that will feature apartments, retail and office space.
The project is a joint partnership between the Newark-based Hanini Group and L&M Development Partners of New York.

Retail Process Engineering, an innovative retail merchandising and supply chain solutions provider, has appointed Tom DiPinto as an account executive. 

DiPinto has more than 20 years of experience in enterprise class software solutions with deep experience in retail, project management and systems implementation. He will be responsible for identifying new clients and working with existing clients to align software solutions with business objectives to improve processes, grow the business and save money.