Convenience Stores

Survey: Chick-fil-A nabs second place in customer service
Waban, Mass. - Chick-fil-A took the second spot in the annual Temkin Customer Service Ratings, tops among all retailers and food service chains. Other retailers and food service companies in the top 12 include Aldi, Trader Joe's, Publix, Panera Bread, H-E-B, Amazon.com, and Bed Bath & Beyond.

Supermarkets, retailers, and banks, as an industry, earned average ratings of "strong.” Retailers RadioShack and Sears were ranked at least 15 points below retail industry average.
AutoZone Q3 profit beats expectations
Memphis -- AutoZone reported a better-than-expected profit of $309.1 million in its third quarter, up 8.4% from $285.2 million in the year-ago period. Diluted earnings per share increased 13.1% to $9.57 per share, from $8.46 per share in the year-ago quarter. It was the auto retailer’s thirty-fifth consecutive quarter of double digit earnings per share growth.

Sales for the quarter, ended May 9, increased 6.5% to $2.49 billion for the period. Same-store sales increased 2.3%.

Ex-Kmart exec prepares to do dollar store duty

The chairman of the board at 99 Cents Only Stores has assumed the role of CEO and president effective immediately.

Andrew Giancamilli will become the new interim president and CEO, replacing Stéphane Gonthier.
Fresh Market beats Street on profit, misses sales; will open 19 stores

Greensboro, N.C. – It was a mixed first quarter for The Fresh Market Inc. as the grocery retailer met Wall Street expectations for profit but fell short on sales. Net income totaled $15.17 million, down 8% from $16.57 million.

Higher operating expenses drove the reduction in net income. Sales increased 7% to $462.04 million from $431 million. Same-store sales dropped 0.1%.
Krispy Kreme to open 11 stores in central U.S.

Winston-Salem, N.C. - Krispy Kreme has signed development agreements to open 11 Krispy Kreme shops in Arkansas, Montana, Illinois and Kentucky in the next several years. An agreement with Dennis Porter,pPresident of DTL of the Emerald Coast, includes four additional shops to open in Arkansas.
LivingSocial takes health care turn

Former Sears and Walgreens finance executive Atul Kavthekar is joining LivingSocial as CFO to help execute the e-commerce company’s ongoing re-invention strategy.
Amazon Prime adds one-hour delivery in New York City

Seattle - Amazon.com is offering one-hour delivery of products from select local stores in Manhattan through its Prime Now service. In Manhattan, customers can now purchase groceries, prepared meals and baked goods from D’Agostino, Gourmet Garage and Billy’s Bakery through the Prime Now app.
Dollar Tree scores missed expectations hat trick

Dollars Tree’s first quarter sales were less than expected, it is divesting more of the acquired Family Dollar stores than expected and closing the merger is taking longer than expected.
Amazon.com adds new possibilities for Prime Now

Retailers in urban areas where Amazon.com is rolling out its Prime Now delivery service soon may be able to piggyback on the e-commerce innovator’s supply chain prowess to offer one-hour delivery.

In Manhattan, where Amazon.com launched Prime Now earlier this year, the company has added products from select local merchants to the tens of thousands of items it already promises to deliver within one hour.
Temkin study: Hannaford, Publix easiest companies to work with

Waban, Mass. -- Supermarket companies Hannaford and Publix took the top spots in the 2015 Temkin Effort Ratings, which rates how easy or difficult companies are to work with. The ratings examine 293 companies across 20 industries.
Survey: Medical cost inflation, financial issues greatest risk concerns for retail industry

Hartford, Conn. -- Cyber risks, medical cost inflation, and legal liability are among the top concerns for American businesses of all sizes, according to results from the second annual Travelers Business Risk Index. The survey polled more than 1,200 business decision makers across the country to better understand what they believe poses the biggest threat to their businesses.
Smart & Final launches new branding campaign

Commerce, Calif. -- Smart & Final launched a new branding campaign, which will place the ampersand ("&") -- already in the 144-year old company's name -- front and center to showcase the company's relationship with both its customers and the communities it serves.