Convenience Stores

Peru tends to be a logical new market for many Chilean retailers and Walmart will be next, according to unconfirmed reports from a company executive who spoke to Reuters.

The news agency this week said Walmart, which is already one of the leading retailers in Chile, will begin work this year to open stores in Peru and plans to form a local management team. As expected, Walmart denied the report but did acknowledge it planned to run a quality assurance office in Peru for procuring products.

Every week, retailers unleash significant advertising and promotion efforts in the perpetual competition to engage shoppers, drive trips and grow sales. Annual retail sales and market share are the result of the competition that played out in the preceding 52 individual weeks, and many companies highly value “winning the week.” But some weeks can be much more competitive than others, creating challenges for retailers also facing strong pressures to be efficient and limit costs.

Having past the calendar’s mid-point, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at the most viewed stories of the year to date on ChainStoreAge.com. (Based on the results,  the ongoing saga of J.C. Penney remains the industry's biggest story.) Here are the Top 10 stories of the first six months:

Alexandria, Va. -- Voila Pastry & Café has leased 1,600 sq. ft. in Huntington Station Shopping Center in Alexandria, Va.

Paraclete Realty represented Voila Pastry, and A.J. Dwoskin & Associates represented the shopping center in the transaction.

Pittsburgh – GNC Holdings Inc. has elected Alan D. Feldman and Robert F. Moran to its board of directors. Feldman most recently served as chairman, president and CEO of Midas Inc. from May 2006 until its merger with TBC Corporation in May 2012 and as its president and CEO from January 2003 until May 2006.  Prior to that, Feldman held senior management posts at McDonald's Corporation and the Pizza Hut and Frito-Lay units of Pepsico. Feldman also currently serves on the board of directors of Foot Locker Inc.

PITTSBURGH — GNC Holdings has elected former PetSmart CEO Robert Moran and former Midas CEO Alan Feldman to its board of directors.

"We are pleased to welcome Messrs. Moran and Feldman to the GNC board," stated Joseph Fortunato, GNC chairman, president and CEO. "Their extensive experience leading global consumer brands and retail operations, both domestically and overseas, and past experience as CEOs of retail businesses should add significant strength to our board as we execute our future strategies."

Wallingford, Conn. -- Edible Arrangements, known for its fresh fruit arrangements, has launched a format, called Edible To Go, specifically designed for shopping malls and other high-traffic venues.

Miami -- Three new retailers opened at The Palms at Town and Country in Miami during May. They include a 23,070l-sq.-ft. Total Wine & More, a 2,518-sq.-ft. Voodoo BBQ & Grill, a New Orleans-style barbecue restaurant, and a 2,119-sq.-ft. Crazy 8, a kids’ line retailer from Gymboree Corp.

Under construction now and opening in November is a 47,982-sq.-ft. DICK’s Sporting Goods.

Broomfield, Colo. – Famous Brands International, parent company of TCBY Yogurt and Mrs. Fields Cookies, has appointed Neal Courtney as CEO. Neal had been serving as the company's interim CEO since February and served as COO since May 2012.

Richmond, Va. -- Five retailers have signed five leases, taking a total of 23,700 sq. ft. of retail space in the metropolitan Richmond, Va., market, according to Divaris Real Estate, Inc., the broker representing the retailers.