Convenience Stores

Bentonville, Ark. — Wal-Mart is reportedly halting its Indian expansion plans, at least for now. According to the Financial Times, Wal-Mart has not opened any new cash-and-carry stores in India since October 2013 or any new convenience stores there since November 2013.

New York City — Gourmet Garage, an upscale market with five Manhattan locations, has signed a lease for a sixth Manhattan location at Collect Pond House, a co-op building at 366 Broadway.

The market will occupy approximately 6,435 sq. ft. on the ground floor and 3,510 sq. ft. in the lower level. An additional 910 sq. ft. in the mezzanine will provide seating.

Sidney, Neb. — Cabela’s Inc. plans to enter three new markets in 2015 and 2016. The retailer will open new stores in Ammon, Idaho; Short Pump, Va.; and Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.

Ankeny, Iowa -- Casey’s General Stores announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire 24 Stop-n-Go locations. Twenty of the stores are located in North Dakota and four are located in Minnesota.

Atlanta -- Consumer spending growth declined from December to January, but remained relatively healthy at 2.5%, according to First Data’s January 2014 SpendTrend report. SpendTrend tracks same-store point-of-sale data by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT, closed-loop prepaid cards and checks from nearly four million U.S. merchant locations serviced by First Data. The report cited the severe winter weather that pummeled the Midwest and eastern half of the country as a factor in the decline.

With usage of electronic cigarettes on the rise, a new study by e-cig manufacturer Mistic contends the majority of Americans are not opposed to second hand vapor.
 

Aston, Pa. -- Hastings Entertainment, a 136-unit multimedia entertainment retail chain, has signed an agreement for Actions Services Group to provide interior lighting maintenance to locations in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.

Residents of the Washington, D.C., metro area can now have products ordered from supermarket operator Harris Teeter delivered within the hour following Instacart’s entry into the market.

Instacart’s network of personal shoppers began delivering items ordered from Harris Teeter on Feb. 11. The service provider expects to add other retailers in the coming weeks which would allow shoppers to combine items from multiple stores in a single order and have them delivered in as little as one hour.