Strategy

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Frederik Meijer, the founder of the supercenter retail chain of the same name, died Nov. 25. He was 91.

New York -- The retail industry experienced a weekend that was a roaring success in terms of customer traffic, sales and another key metric that was overlooked: No one died! At least not in the gruesome fashion of a few years ago when a Walmart employee was trampled by an unruly mob as he opened the doors at a Long Island, NY, store on Black Friday. There was an incident this year involving an older man who collapsed at a Target store in West Virginia and later died at a hospital, but it was determined he had a pre-existing heart condition.

Canton, Mass. -- Dunkin' Brands Group said Tuesday it has signed agreements to develop 25 new Dunkin' Donuts and two Baskin-Robbins in Louisiana over the next several years.

Cities targeted for development include Baton Rouge, Shreveport and New Orleans.

"The state of Louisiana has been a priority growth market for Dunkin' Brands in 2011 and we're excited to expand our footprint in Baton Rouge, Shreveport and New Orleans," said Grant Benson, VP franchising and market planning, Dunkin' Brands.

St. Louis -- Grocer Save-A-Lot, a subsidiary of SuperValu, said Tuesday it will open a 330,000-sq.-ft. distribution center in Lexington, N.C., on Nov. 30.

The $24 million project is designed to support Save-A-Lot’s growth in region.

The new DC will employ 35 employees initially and is a collaboration with the state of North Carolina and its One North Carolina Fund, the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Davidson County and the City of Lexington.

ST. LOUIS — Supervalu banner Save-A-Lot will open a new 330,000-sq.-ft. food distribution center in Lexington, N.C., on Wednesday.

The distribution center initially will service more than 70 stores within a 150-mile radius, Save-A-Lot noted.

The distribution center, which will employ 35 employees, is part of the company's commitment to expand in the region. Currently, there are nearly 30 Save-A-Lot stores in North Carolina, including one in Lexington; the company plans to open an additional three stores in the state by March 2012.

NEW YORK — Heading into December, consumers are feeling more confident about the economy and that is good news for retailers who are hoping for a strong holiday shopping season. After declining in October, The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, improved to 56 in November from 40.9 in Ocober. The Present Situation Index increased to 38.3 from 27.1. The Expectations Index rose to 67.8 from 50.

London – WorldPay, the global leader in payment processing has appointed Charlotte Speller, VP global marketing, for the e-commerce division of the business.

Charlotte joins WorldPay from Sage Pay, where she was head of marketing and PR and publisher of e-commerce and payments magazine Moving Money.

Coppell, Texas -- CiCi's Pizza said Tuesday it has partnered with strategic site modeling company Birchwood Resultants to add another 500 restaurants in the next eight to 10 years.