Large Chains

The parent company of Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins announced that Paul Carbone, CFO, is leaving the company effective April 21, 2017.  

There is another development in Walgreens’ quest to acquire Rite Aid.  

Canada-based convenience store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard posted net earnings of $287 million in the third quarter of its fiscal year, up 4.7% from the previous-year period.   Same-store merchandise sales fell by a point in Europe, but were up 1.9% in the U.S. Same-store gasoline sales volumes rose 2.8% stateside.   Couche-Tard’s global rebranding of its Circle K stores proceeded at a quick pace during the quarter, with more than 1,000 U.S. stores completed.  

Walgreens Boots Alliance is considering a move that would force the Federal Trade Commission to vote on its planned merger with Rite Aid within 30 days.   Walgreens is considering declaring that it has “certified compliance” in its application, which would mean that the drugstore chain believes it has given regulators substantially all the information they need to make a decision, The New York Post reported.

In today’s competitive retail environment, no brand can afford to stay still.   Two top brands — one a national giant and the other a regional powerhouse — will give attendees at SPECS/2017 a behind-the-scenes look at how a brand can be reinvented through store design.   Cumberland Farms, a 600-store convenience store chain, will discuss how it is updating its locations with a sleek new design.   

Pret a Manger has signed leases for four new stores in Manhattan and renewed leases on three others, reported RKF, which handled the lease agreements.   In its third location at Penn Station, Pret will debut its wine bar concept for the first time in the U.S. This shop will be located near the station entrance on 34th Street and 7th Avenue. The fast-casual chain’s other new locations in the Big Apple will be on West 27th Street in Chelsea, Park Avenue and 39th Street, and in Midtown at 53rd and Broadway.  

Walgreens Boots Alliance’s acquisition of Rite Aid is moving closer to getting a green light from the Federal Trade Commission.       The FTC is expected to approve the sale in the next two to four weeks, reported the New York Post, citing two sources close to the situation.   The major sticking point was reportedly the number of Rite Aid stores that need to be divested to Fred’s Pharmacy.      

Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores is getting its stores on the same page.   The convenience and fuel chain, which operates more than 400 locations in 40 states, employs more than 17,000 people. By adding Reflexis Workforce Manager, it will have a consistent way to manage its budgeting, forecasting, and labor scheduling across the enterprise.   

BJ’s Wholesale Club could see a change in ownership.   The company’s private equity owners, Leonard Green & Partners and CVS Capital Partners Ltd., are hiring investment bankers to advise them on options, reported the Wall Street Journal.   The two buyout firms acquired BJ’s in 2011 for approximately $3 billion. The retailer, which is based in Westborough, Massachusetts, operates 213 stores and 130 BJ's Gas locations 15 states.    

Dick’s Sporting Goods is putting two of its formats under one roof in the Austin, Texas, market.   The retailer will open a Dick’s Sporting Goods and Field & Stream store on Friday, March 3 at The Parke in Cedar Park, Texas. It will be Dick’s 677th store and 29th Field & Stream store nationwide.    There are currently three other Dick’s Sporting Goods stores in Austin.