Convenience Stores

New York -- Snowstorms and bitterly cold weather took a bite out of sales for some retailers in January. One of the retailers feeling the chill was Fred’s, which posted a 1.8% decline in January same-store sales.

"The weather was a significant challenge for us in January," said CEO Bruce Efird, who added that it disrupted shopping patterns, but also resulted in “more than 120 store closings during the final week of the month."

Deerfield, Ill. -- Responding to the announcement by CVS Caremark that its plans to stop selling tobacco products in its stores, Walgreens stated that the category has been under review at its stores, too.

Walgreens has been evaluating its tobacco line for “some time,” and, according to spokesperson Michael Polzin, it “will continue to evaluate the choice of products our customers want, while also helping to educate them and providing smoking cessation products and alternatives that help reduce the demand for tobacco products.”

Belmont, Calif. -- SunEdison, a solar technology manufacturer and provider of solar energy services, announced the completion of a 306 kW DC (direct current) solar system for Whole Foods Market in Brooklyn, N.Y.

SunEdison designed the system using an innovative parking canopy structure that collects rainwater while protecting customers from the elements. The two companies have worked together since 2004 and have jointly deployed 1.5 MW (megawatts) of solar projects.

Woonsocket, R.I. – The Feb. 5 decision by CVS to stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products by October 2014 reportedly created a large volume of related discussion on social media. According to analysis from social media analysis technology provider Crimson Hexagon, as of 6 p.m. on Feb. 5, there were more than 139,000 total posts on Twitter (92% of the conversation) and public Facebook (8% of the conversation) posts mentioning CVS.

Canton, Mass. – Dunkin’ Donuts has entered multi-unit store development agreement with five existing franchise groups to develop 22 new restaurants throughout the Greater Baltimore/Washington, D.C., area over the next several years. The five franchise groups and their development plans include:

• Existing franchisee Arun Mandi plans to develop eight restaurants throughout Washington, D.C., and Virginia. Mandi currently operates 28 locations in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. His next restaurant is planned to open in 2015.

City of Commerce, Calif. – 99 Cents Only Stores is opening three new stores on Thursday, Feb. 13. The stores are located in Scottsdale, Ariz., Carson, Calif., and Humble, Texas.

The Scottsdale store is approximately 14,000 sq. ft., the Carson store is approximately 17,000 sq. ft. and the Humble store is approximately 12,000 sq. ft. All three will feature a perishable food department, including produce, dairy and frozen foods.

Shoppers Drug Mart posted an increase in fourth quarter sales driven by gains at the front end and strength in prescription count growth.

Sales for the quarter were Canadian $2.75 billion, an increase of 0.9% compared with the year-ago period. Same-store sales increased 1.2% during the quarter.

The weather posed a significant challenge for Fred’s in January. According to CEO Bruce A. Efird, Mother Nature not only disrupted consumer shopping patterns, but also resulted in more than 120 store closings during the final week of the month.

“Prior to the last week of January, sales were running in the mid-range of our forecast, with reconfiguration departments leading the way,” Efird explained.

Fred's total sales for January were $134.8 million compared with $173.5 million for the five-week year-earlier period.

As if the retail industry weren’t challenging enough, those operating stores in California are facing a growing number of lawsuits related to an operational consideration known as suitable seating.

Oklahoma City -- Hobby Lobby announced it will open 70 stores throughout the United States in 2014, for a total of 625 locations nationwide.

The arts and crafts retailer said that as part of its expansion it will enter the states of Vermont and Oregon this year.