Strategy

Natick, Mass. -- BJ’s Wholesale Club said Wednesday that its December same-store sales rose 3.8% and would have been up 1.4%, excluding the impact of gasoline sales. The results were short of analysts expectations. Separately, the company said it is shutting five underperforming locations by the end of January. as well as restructuring its home office and certain field operations. It is cutting 114 corporate-level jobs, 61 of them at the company's headquarters and 53 field positions.

LAS VEGAS - LG Electronics has unveiled a number of new devices at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show.

Houston -- Datacert, a global provider of enterprise legal management solutions, announced that Walmart has selected Datacert's Passport technology platform, to help strategically manage the chain’s domestic legal processes and systems. In addition, Walmart will implement Datacert's matter management and spend management systems, which are built on Passport.

DEERFIELD, Ill. - Shortly after announcing a record-setting first quarter last month, Walgreens reported that its December sales rose 7.5% to $6.8 billion.

The chain said that Duane Reade stores, which Walgreens acquired in April 2010, contributed 2.5 percentage points.

Meanwhile, Walgreens also raked in a 9.5% increase for its total front-end sales, thanks to a spike in customer traffic and basket size. Pharmacy sales for the chain, which accounted for 58.6% of total sales for the month, saw a 6% boost.

West Bridgewater, Mass. -- Shaw's Supermarkets has announced that it will close five unprofitable stores in Massachusetts and Rhode Island by the middle of next month.

The company said in a statement that it decided "only after careful evaluation" to close the stores. The Massachusetts stores are in New Bedford, Stoneham and Revere. The Rhode Island locations are in Johnston, and on Bald Hill Road in Warwick.

The stores will be closed by Feb. 17.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Sam's Club announced that it is offering its business, advantage and plus members tools to help them achieve their health goals including free monthly in-club health screenings and access to a new health management benefit, The Prevention Plan from U.S. Preventive Medicine.

New York City -- Reports circulated Wednesday that several potential suitors, including Sears Holdings and Urban Outfitters, have been studying J. Crew’s books. Urban Outfitters is seriously weighing a counterbid for the high-flying preppy retailer, according to a report in The New York Times. At least two other private-equity firms are also receiving confidential data on the New York-based retailer, Bloomberg reported.

Chalfont, Pa. -- Centro Properties Group announced that a 20,685-sq.-ft. Bottom Dollar Food opened at Chalfont Village Shopping Center, located in Chalfont, Pa.

Centro Properties Group, based in New York City, is the owner of Chalfont Village Shopping Center.