Convenience Stores

Walmart will be making a progressing move and extending health insurance benefits to same-sex domestic partners of its U.S. employees starting next year, according to a Reuters report. 

The report stated that the retailer will also offer vision care to its eligible employees and their dependents.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Snyder's-Lance has acquired all assets of Stateline Service Corporation, a snack food distributor in Massachusetts, as part of its growth initiative. 

Old Bridge, N.J. — R.J. Brunelli & Co. has announced that it has been retained as exclusive real estate broker in several New Jersey counties for three fast casual chains: BurgerFi, Corner Bakery Café and Tommy’s Coal Fired Pizza. All three restaurants are seeking end-cap or freestanding pad locations with outdoor seating in lifestyle centers, power centers and other high-traffic locations, in areas offering high daytime and residential populations.

It could be a smaller-store footprint. Or a design makeover. Or a totally new format. But there comes a time when even the largest and most successful retailers need to freshen up or rethink their store identities. Here's a look at four brands that are trying on new looks.

WOODBURY TOWN CENTER

Location: Irvine, Calif. (SR 133 —the Laguna Freeway and the I-5 Santa AnaFreeway)

Size: 462,000 sq. ft.

Developer: Irvine Co. Retail Properties

Grocery anchors: Ralphs Fresh Fare, Trader Joe's

Key tenants: Home Depot, LA Fitness, Walgreens, Staples

Status: Open and operating since 2007

L3 Capital invests in what it calls prime urban retail, which includes a lot of street retail in the premier cities. "We own retail properties in several neighborhoods in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago," said Greg Schott managing piincipal.

At the end of last year, L3 made its first investment in its hometown of Chicago. The company bought four retail buildings along a flourishing four-block retail stretch of Southport Avenue in the Lakewood neighborhood. The cost was $13 million for 17,000 sq. ft.

Americans are eating more chicken and paying more to do so, according to leading poultry producer Sanderson Farms.

The company said its third quarter sales increased 18.3% to $739 million and profits grew 136% to $67.9 million, or $2.95 a share, compared to profits of $28.7 million, or $1.25 a share.

The strong showing was the result of improved market conditions as whole bird prices remained at historically high prices during the quarter, according to Joe F. Sanderson, Jr., chairman and CEO of Sanderson Farms, Inc.

Milford, Conn. — Subway opened its 40,000th location at an AppleGreen petrol station in Ipswich, England. The company has opened 1,761 locations around the world since the start of 2013. The largest chain of sub shops in the world, Subway leads the next largest chain by more than 5,500 locations.

The U.K. is the brand’s third largest market, behind the U.S. and Canada. There are 14,000 international locations in 102 countries outside the U.S.