Corporate Governance

BOISE, IDAHO – Albertson’s Supermarkets plans to purchase grocery store and c-store operator the United Family. The transaction’s terms have not been released.

Houston — Transwestern’s Houston headquarters today announced that it is acquiring Richards Barry Joyce & Partners, a full-service real estate firm based in Boston. It will become Transwestern’s 34th U.S. office.

Mt. Laurel, N.J. - Spencer Gifts, LLC will deploy Retail 20/20 exception-based reporting technology from Agilence. Spencer Gifts plans to use the Retail 20/20 solution to build complex reports and dashboards and obtain near real-time visibility into store operations.

The Pep Boys are remaining cautiously optimistic that there will be an increase in demand for tires this year, following a comparable store sales decrease of 1.3% for the second quarter ended Aug. 3. 

Sales for the quarter increased 0.4% to $527.6 million from $525.7 million for the prior-year quarter. The company’s operating profit for the quarter, adjusted to exclude merger-related costs, was $19.4 million as compared to $15.5 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2012. 

Dayton, Ohio -- Retail design and brand strategy firm Interbrand Design Forum, the retail division of Interbrand, said it has hired Dirk Defenbaugh as managing director.

Oak Brook, Ill. - McDonald's Corporation reported increased same-store sales in all but one segment during August 2013. Same-store sales increased 0.2% in the U.S. compared to the same month in the previous year, and also grew 3.3% in Europe and 1.9% globally.

However, same-store sales in Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMPEA) declined 0.5%. McDonald’s cited negative sales results in Japan and China, partially offset by positive results in many other markets and the shift in timing of Ramadan. Systemwide sales improved 2.8%.

Los Angeles -- Grocery chain Fresh & Easy confirmed reports that its British parent Tesco LLC has sold the brand to private equity firm The Yucaipa Cos., following months of uncertainty about the 200+-unit chain’s future.

Fresh & Easy posted on its website Tuesday that more than 4,000 jobs would be saved under the purchase agreement but that some stores will be closing. Specific stores have not been identified, and the terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed.

An article that recently caught my eye adds more evidence to my growing suspicion (and I know I am far from alone in this) that the near-term to mid-term retail outlook might not be quite as positive as we may have thought just a few months ago. The piece, “Gap Stands out Among Retailers in Tough Quarter,” in Women’s Wear Daily highlighted the sobering second-quarter numbers from a long list of big retail brands. As the title implies, Gap, Inc.