Convenience Stores

Broomfield, Colo. -- TCBY, The Country's Best Yogurt will open a flagship in Broomfield, Colo., which will also serve as the company's training center for its domestic and international franchisees.

Santa Monica, Calif. -- Mobile payment platform provider Kuapay said Thursday it has launched a new payment system at 14 KFC/Taco Bell restaurants in the Los Angeles area.

Duapay and franchisee Great American Chicken Corp launched the system in order to make smartphone ordering and payment faster and easier. The launch follows a two-month pilot program and encompasses locations in Los Angeles County, Orange County and the Ontario area.

Tucson, Ariz. -- Oakbrook, Ill.-based Inland Diversified Real Estate Trust announced the acquisition of The Corner, an 80,155-sq.-ft. shopping center in Tucson, Ariz., for approximately $29.5 million.

Tenants at The Corner include Total Wine, Nordstrom Rack and Five Guys Burgers and Fries, along with Sleep Number by Select Comfort, Sprint and Paradise Bakery.  

Laguna Hills, Calif. -- Vintage Real Estate announced that The Fresh Market will open at its neighborhood shopping center The Village at Nellie Gail Ranch in Laguna Hills, Calif., which is undergoing a $17 million renovation and expansion.  

The gourmet grocer will open a 21,000-sq.-ft. store in summer 2014.

The expansion and renovation of Village at Nellie Gail Ranch includes new facades, storefronts, refreshed landscaping and outdoor gathering spots. With the expansion, the center will total approximately 100,000 sq. ft.

Washington, D.C. -- On Tuesday, a majority of named class plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal to challenge a ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York granting preliminary approval to a proposed settlement of a long-standing antitrust class action filed by merchants against Visa, MasterCard and the largest banks. The merchant group will ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to deny preliminary approval due to the legal defects in the proposed settlement.
 

Claysburg, Pa. -- C-store chain Sheetz said Tuesday that it will open its new employee health-and-wellness center on Wednesday, marking the first LEED-certified building in Blair County.

The 11,000-sq.-ft. Sheetz Center for Shwellness is located beside the Sheetz Distribution Center in Claysburg, Pa. In partnership with Marathon-Health, the company will use medical staff to provide individual health and wellness coaching to employees and their eligible dependents.

Each year, in December, Chain Store Age publishes a retail overview of the northeastern quadrant of the United States and, each year, there’s not a lot of bad news to report, even in recessionary times. This year is no exception; in fact, despite a superstorm that ravaged much of the region, the economic engine continues to chug along.

Heating and air-conditioning systems are major targets for reducing energy use in retail stores. It’s easy to see why: Together, heating and cooling systems consume approximately 38% of the energy used in such facilities (according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program).

Beijing -- Starbucks Coffee Co. advanced its growth plans in China with the opening of its 100th store in Beijing. The company also announced the launch of Starbucks China University, its talent development program.

Starbucks has announced that China will be its second largest market by 2014 and will have 1,500 stores by 2015 across more than 70 cities. It currently operates 700 locations throughout Mainland China.”

Deerfield, Ill.  -- Walgreens unveiled its newest Chicago flagship, in the historic Noel State Bank building in the city’s Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhood. This is the chain’s second flagship in Chicago and, like its downtown State and Randolph flagship location, features an extensive collection of innovative offerings, products and services unexpected from a drugstore.