Loyalty Marketing

New York City -- Dunkin' Donuts is looking to expand in the western part of the country. The chain said it is actively seeking franchisees for parts of Colorado, Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and New Mexico, regions in which the Dunkin barely has a presence.

To entice would-be franchisees, the company will offer reduced royalty fees and extra money for local advertising.

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Stop & Shop has expanded its A+ School Rewards program and is introducing healthy store tours for kids.

The A+ School Rewards program — which allows customers to designate the points they earn for every dollar spent at Stop & Shop to the school or schools of their choice by registering their Stop & Shop card at StopAndShop.com — increase its contribution to help fund schools with a commitment of $2.5 million.

Eden Prairie, Minn. --- Supervalu announced the sale of 107 fuel centers located in the Midwest, Intermountain West and West Coast regions following the acceptance of four separate bids to purchase the centers. The transactions include the majority of fuel centers within the Albertsons, Cub Foods, Hornbacher’s and Jewel-Osco banners.

NEW YORK  — Spanish retailer Zara is giving consumers greater access to its European style with the launch of its first U.S. e-commerce site. 

SAN ANTONIO — H-E-B announced that it has launched an early childhood literacy initiative to help educate Texas parents and caregivers about the importance of reading to children a minimum of three times per week and to provide families with the tools and resources they need to prepare their early learners for school.

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Stater Bros. Supermarkets, which operates 167 stores in Southern California, announced that it will be the title sponsor of the largest car show on the West Coast as well as the largest Supermarket Chain sponsored event in America.  

The Stater Bros. Route 66 Rendezvous will be held from Thursday, Sept. 15 through Sunday, Sept. 18 along the historic streets of downtown San Bernardino.  This is the 15th straight year that Stater Bros. has been the title sponsor.

DALLAS — While Zale Corp. posted a nearly 10% comps increase for its fourth quarter, higher commodity costs lead to a wider net loss for the period. The company stands to gain even more in the way of sales, with additional financing options for its customers.

New York City -- Whole Foods Market is testing membership-only Wellness Clubs in select locations, with the initial site in the chain’s store in Dedham, Mass., USA Today reported. Four additional sites are expected to open this fall.

The company is charging a one-time fee of $199, with monthly membership dues of $45, according to the report, for which members will receive lifestyle evaluations, classes in nutrition, cooking and health and 10% off on 1,000 “better-for-you” foods sold in Whole Foods.

Washington, D.C. -- Applied Predictive Technologies (APT) announced that Chico’s FAS has signed an agreement to license APT’s Test & Learn Management System.

Chico’s chose the solution after a pilot project which examined a range of the retailer’s promotional strategies. Using the Test & Learn approach during the pilot, Chicos’ gained valuable insights that helped it better understand its customers’ behavior.

It is hard to overstate the significance of Target’s entry into Canada in terms of the impact it will have on the company’s growth and the marketplace overall. You would have to go back to 1992 and Walmart’s acquisition of 122 Woolco stores to find an event of similar magnitude, and even that deal comes up short compared with Target’s plans to open as many as 150 stores beginning in early 2013.