Convenience Stores

Vestar acquires retail center in Seattle area for $31.4 million
Tacoma, Wash. -- Vestar announced that it has acquired James Center located in Tacoma, Washington, for $31.4 million.

The 140,240 sq. ft. center is located directly across from Tacoma Community College, which enrolls nearly 14,000 students per year. James Center is anchored by Fred Meyer and Rite, as well as feature tenants: Starbucks, Subway, Verizon, Menchie’s, U.S. Bank, IHOP, FedEx Kinko’s and Ivar’s.
Grocery delivery app taps major chain veteran to develop business
Starbucks knows a thing or two about developing business across channels, and on-demand, app-based grocery delivery service Shipt is bringing that expertise in-house.

Birmingham, Alabama-based Shipt has named Joe Manning, former Starbucks director of business and channel development, to lead business development. Shipt is looking to Manning to establish and grow partnerships with grocers and CPG companies as the company expands.

Specialty grocer meets delivery demand

Ethnic grocery chain H Mart is expanding its partnership with Instacart nationally.

Lyndhurst, New Jersey-based H Mart, which operates more than 45 U.S. and Canadian stores, specializes in Asian grocery products. H Mart is now offering Instacart deliveries in as little as one hour to consumers in Philadelphia. Coming soon, the retailer will also offer Instacart services in markets including Orange County, Washington, D.C., suburbs, Atlanta, Chicago suburbs, Los Angeles, and Houston. Instacart prices will match H Mart in-store prices.
New leadership summit focused on CPG solutions

Top merchants from Walmart, CVS Health and Family Dollar are among a group of consumer packaged goods leaders gathering in Chicago soon for a first-of-its-kind event focused on one of the industry’s most daunting challenges.

On May 24, Chain Store Age sister publication Drug Store News and Mack Elevation Forum will host The Future Leaders Summit. The one-day event will feature seven high-impact leaders who will share their ideas and philosophies on attracting talent and leading in a hyper-competitive world.
Starbucks to donate all unsold food

Starbucks Corp. announced a major initiative to help the nation’s neediest citizens.

The coffee giant is launching FoodShare, a program to donate all leftover ready-to-eat meals from its 7,600 U.S. company-operated stores to food banks. In the first year alone, the program will be able to provide nearly 5 million meals, according to company estimates.
Report: Ahold to sell Richmond-area Martin’s stores ahead of merger

The Richmond Times-Dispatch is reporting that the 19 Martin’s Food Markets stores in the area will be either sold or closed as the completion of parent company Ahold’s merger with Delhaize Group. The Richmond-area stores are just some of the 83 stores the combined companies are looking to unload across the eastern and northeastern U.S. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Shoppers hop to stores for Easter apparel offerings

The growth of digital shopping tools continues to benefit physical stores with new seasonal research from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) showing how much.
GameStop partners with Autism Speaks for Autism Awareness Month

GameStop Corp. is launching an omnichannel campaign to raise funds for a cause that is near and dear to the hearts of many of the retailer's customers.
Mid-America Real Estate handles sale of Buffalo Crossroads Center

Buffalo, Mo. -- Mid-America Real Estate – Minnesota recently brokered the sale of Buffalo Crossroads Center located along Highway 55 in Buffalo, Minnesota. The property was acquired by a local investment group for $3.8 million.

Buffalo Crossroads is a 19,753 sq. ft. center anchored by Jimmy John’s and Anytime Fitness.
Make-your-own pizza chain to make New York debut

PizzaRev, a fast-casual pizza concept backed by Buffalo Wild Wings, announced its first locations in New York.

New York is one of five new states that PizzaRev will enter this year, including Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, and Tennessee. The company will also make its international debut in Mexico shortly after opening in New York. There are currently more than 150 additional PizzaRev restaurants in various stages of development across the United States and Mexico.
SPECS Exclusive: A new day for physical stores

Photo: Amazon Dash
Tanger eyes checkered flag with latest project

The newest addition to a Texas-sized mixed-used development taking shape north of Fort Worth is a 350,000-sq.-ft. retail project from Tanger Factory Outlet Centers.