Starbucks Coffee Co.

Boston — The Wilder Companies has been awarded five new leasing and management contracts for nearly 900,000 sq. ft. in five shopping centers on the north and south shores of Boston.

The Crossing at Walkers Brook in Reading, Mass., is a 480,000-sq.-ft. center featuring Jordan’s Furniture, an IMAX Theatre and The Home Depot. An 80,000-sq.-ft. pedestrian-friendly lifestyle portion of the center features Staples, Golfsmith, the Paper Store, Macaroni Grill, Chili’s, and Starbucks.

Seattle -- Starbucks Corporation is requesting that customers no longer bring guns onto its property, either inside or outside its stores — even in states where “open carry” laws permit them to do so — with the exclusion of law enforcement personnel.

Company founder, chairman and CEO Howard Schultz made the request in an open letter posted under his name on the Starbucks website. The company plans to buy ad space in major national newspapers to run the letter.

Seattle -- Starbucks Corp. said that Troy Alstead, CFO and chief administrative officer, has been promoted to CFO and group president, Global Business Services.

Alstead’s promotion is a recognition of the increasing responsibility and complexity of his role overseeing Starbucks global financial, technology and supply chain operations and ensuring that the company’s overall business infrastructure is optimized to support the company’s global growth.

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Company on Monday opened two flagship stores in Beijing, China. The new Beijing flagship stores were designed by members of the in-house Starbucks global design team and the local Starbucks China Design Studio, one of 18 international design offices worldwide. One store is a “coffee tribute” store at Kerry Center and one is an “eclectic chic” 24-hour store in the Taikoo Li Sanlitun district.

Prattville, Ala. — Cobbs For Village, a 2.52-acre inline shopping center currently under construction in Prattville, Ala. is adding three tenants to its lineup.

Smashburger, Gigi’s Cupcakes and Chipotle Mexican Grill have signed leases with GBT Realty Corp. and will take up residence when the center opens next spring.

The new tenants join previously announced Starbucks Coffee, Aspen Dental and Firehouse Subs. GBT Realty is currently in lease negotiations for two of the four remaining available spaces.

Minneapolis -- Target Corporation will open 23 new stores in Canada this fall, including its first stores in Quebec and Nova Scotia, along with additional Ontario locations in Ottawa and surrounding area. Fourteen stores will open on Sept. 17, and nine on Oct. 18.

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Company is making its Evolution Fresh juice and Evolution Harvest premium brands available at Whole Foods Market stores across the United  States. This expansion advances Evolution Fresh growth plans to be in approximately 8,000 Starbucks and grocery locations by the end of the year.

Widening competition for commodity grocery sales is changing grocery-anchored shopping centers.

Supermarket-anchored shopping centers haven't changed much since the invention of suburbia. Find a good location, sign a grocery anchor, get a construction loan and some inline local, regional and maybe national retailers, and you're in business.

Today, however, supermarkets are beginning to change, and supermarket-anchored shopping centers, of course, must follow along.

Why are grocers changing? Competition from all sides.