Retail

Topeka, Kan. -- Payless ShoeSource announced that Vincent DeSantis has been promoted to senior VP and chief marketing officer for Payless, reporting to LuAnn Via, CEO of Payless.

First it was Walmart U.S. president and CEO Bill Simon at the White House with First Lady Michelle Obama announcing a healthy food initiative that generated enormous amounts of favorable publicity for the company. Now we get word out of Europe that Walmart president and CEO Mike Duke and Walmart International president and CEO Doug McMillon not only attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, they hosted a breakfast meeting.

Wyckoff, N.J. -- Inserra Supermarkets said Wednesday that its redevelopment plans for a 7.6-acre underutilized site in the heart of Wyckoff, N.J., which has been vacant for more than 10 years, are progressing.

The Mahwah, N.J.-based supermarket chain plans to raze an uninhabitable 53,000-sq.-ft. building to develop a new 62,174-sq.-ft. ShopRite within the Township’s central business district.

TOKYO -- Sony Computer Entertainment has unveiled "PlayStation Suite" (PS Suite) for Android based portable devices.

In providing the PlayStation experience on Android based portable devices, SCE said it will commence a "PlayStation Certified" license program for hardware manufacturers.  Through this program, SCE will offer necessary support, including development support as well as logo licensing, to ensure the delivery of PlayStation quality experience across various devices.

Cleveland -- Forest City Commercial Management announced the appointment of Kym Espinosa as marketing director for Promenade Temecula, a regional lifestyle center in Temecula, Calif.

Espinosa, who has more than 20 years of experience in the shopping center industry, is responsible for marketing program strategy and implementation for the 1.1 million-sq.-ft. retail center.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -- Tractor Supply Company reported that net sales for the fourth quarter increased 19.7% to $1.03 billion from $862.5 million in the prior year's fourth quarter.  Same-store sales increased 13.1% compared with a 0.7% increase in the prior-year period.  

Net income for the quarter was $50.2 million, or 67 cents per diluted share, compared with $37.3 million, or 51 cents per diluted share, in the prior year's fourth quarter.  

Honolulu, Hawaii -- Colliers Monroe Friedlander, an affiliate of Colliers International, said that BlackSand Capital, LLC, a Hawaii-based real estate investment firm, acquired Pearlridge Uptown II from Inspiration International, LLC.

Camp Hill, Pa. — Rite Aid on Thursday morning posted a same-store sales increase of 1.1% for the four weeks ended Jan. 22, including a 2.2% lift across the front-end and growth of 0.6% in pharmacy comparable sales.

Prescription count at comparable stores was flat compared with the prior-year period.

Total drug store sales were $1.9 billion, which is flat as compared with the same period last year. Prescription revenue accounted for 69.1% of drug store sales, and third-party prescription revenue represented 93.3% of pharmacy sales.