Retail

Boulder, Colo. -- Trader Joe’s is North America’s favorite grocery store based on customer satisfaction, according to a new study of 6,600 consumers conducted by Market Force Information. Publix Super Markets and Whole Foods Market rounded out the top three. All three received high marks for courteous staff, inviting atmosphere and high-quality produce. Hy-Vee also scored well on those measures.

Irvine, Calif. – Taco Bell plans to discontinue all kids’ meals and toys at its U.S. restaurants. The fast-food chain will start removing the items from its menu at stores this month at anticipates to have eliminated all kids’ meals and toys in the U.S. by January of next year. Menu items from kids’ meals will remain available for individual purchase.

Greg Creed, CEO of Taco Bell, said kids’ meals are not part of the company’s long-range strategy and have an insignificant impact on overall sales.

Vancouver, B.C. – 99 Cents Only Stores is digitizing its audit management procedures with the ACL GRC internal audit management system. Leveraging the GRC solution, the retailer will replace spreadsheets and shared drives. Anticipated benefits include increased collaboration and visibility among team members, the ability to more easily perform risk assessments and scoring, and ease of workflow adjustment as new issues and risks are identified.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has some pretty vivid memories of back- to-school shopping: getting dragged out alongside my mother to buy new outfits and a few No. 2 pencils. Now, it seems like everyone in the retail world is finding a way to join the party.

Greensboro, N.C. -- Robert H. Ham, a provider of store fixtures and display items, announced that the company has changed its name and brand to Firefly Store Solutions.
 
While Firefly Store Solutions has adopted a new corporate logo, the company’s staff and service remains unchanged.

Warren, Mich. -- Art Van Furniture has opened its first Chicagoland store, in Oakland Park, Ill. The 47,000-sq.-ft. store is also the 53-year-old retailer’s first location out of its home state, Michigan, where it operates 36 stores.

Art Van Furniture will open five more Chicagoland retail stores in the coming months.

Warren, Mich. — Michigan-based Art Van Furniture opened its first out-of-state retail store in Orland Park, Ill., last week with a Motown-themed grand opening celebration.

The new 47,000-sq.-ft. location heralds the opening of five more Art Van stores in the Chicago region in coming months. Locations include Ford City-Chicago, Batavia, Elston Avenue-Chicago and Merrillville-Hobart, Indiana. The new stores will add 600 new jobs to the region.

New York -- Starwood Capital Group LLC, the investment firm headed by real estate developer Barry Sternlicht, has joined the bidding for Saks Inc., according to a report by the New York Post. Starwood Capital invests in retail, office and residential real estate.

The bid by Starwood is worth about $2.5 billion, or $17-$18 per share, according to the report. The amount is roughly equal to a previously existing bid from Canadian retail conglomerate Hudson’s Bay, which also owns the Lord & Taylor department store chain.