Convenience Stores

New York — SL Green Realty Corp. and partner Jeff Sutton have announced the formation of a venture that has acquired a 49-year leasehold interest covering the entire retail portion of 650 Fifth Avenue. The transaction was completed with former U. S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen A. Roberts, the court-appointed federal monitor and interim trustee of the landlord, 650 Fifth Avenue Company.

Eight-in-10 (80.6%) shoppers will purchase gift cards this holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation’s Gift Card Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.

Holiday shoppers will spend an average of $163.16 on gift cards, up 4.0% over the $156.86 they spent last year and the highest amount in the survey’s 11-year history. Total spending on gift cards will reach $29.8 billion.

Washington, D.C. – Eight-in-10 (80.6%) shoppers will purchase gift cards this holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation’s Gift Card Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. Holiday shoppers will spend an average of $163.16 on gift cards, up 4.0% over the $156.86 they spent last year and the highest amount in the survey’s 11-year history. Total spending on gift cards will reach $29.8 billion.

Leading food wholesaler Nash Finch said its third quarter sales growth was cut in half as a result of the government shutdown in September.

Total sales increase 3.5% to $1.56 billion during the period ended October 5, but the rate of growth would have been nearly double without the government shutdown which impacted defense department commissaries that are Nash Finch customers.

Portland, Ore. -- Bettery announced that it has teamed up with Safeway to give consumers a convenient way to adopt reusable household batteries, not only reducing their environmental footprint but also saving them money.

Bettery Swap Stations – kiosks for purchasing and exchanging rechargeable batteries – are being installed this month at multiple Safeway locations, starting with stores in Portland, Seattle and surrounding communities.

Portland, Ore. -- Bettery announced that it has teamed up with Safeway to give consumers a convenient way to adopt reusable household batteries, not only reducing their environmental footprint but also saving them money.

Bettery Swap Stations – kiosks for purchasing and exchanging rechargeable batteries – are being installed this month at multiple Safeway locations, starting with stores in Portland, Seattle and surrounding communities.

Thorofare, N.J. -- Shrink, comprised of shoplifting, employee or supplier fraud, organized retail crime and administrative errors, cost the retail industry more than $112 billion globally last year, and represented 1.4% of retail sales, on average, according to the 2012-2013 Global Retail Theft Barometer. In the United States, shrink came in at 1.5% of retail sales.

Fresh off another quarter of same store sales growth, Food Lion held grand re-opening activities at 169 stores in North and South Carolina beginning Wednesday, November 13 in observation of investments the company said it has now made in nearly all of its 1,100 stores.