Convenience Stores

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.

Minneapolis - Target announced plans to open new stores in Fresno and Rocklin, Calif., in March 2014.

The Fresno store will be part of the Marketplace at El Paseo shopping center. The Rocklin store will be part of the Rocklin Commons shopping center.

The Fresno Northwest store will be approximately 140,000 sq. ft.

The MillerCoors company is giving away a 2013 Ford Fusion SE as part of an innovative Facebook campaign targeting NASCAR fans to promote responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages.

It seemed like everyone had a take on President Barack Obama’s big climate change speech this week and among them was Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., president and CEO Mike Duke.

Walmart had a comment from Duke ready to go less than an hour after the President concluded his remarks on Tuesday at Georgetown University. As expected, Duke applauded the president and his administration for their commitment to renewable energy and conservation and then piggybacked on the speech to tout Walmart’s own accomplishments and commitment to the renewable energy and conservation.

Expectations are high that Walmart will accelerate expansion of its small format Express stores when 2014 capital expansion plans are announced this fall. If that’s the case, the company will be entering a crowded landscape.

Already, Dollar General, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree stores operate upwards of 20,000 units with considerable overlap. Now, new data out this week shows the number of units operated by traditional convenience store retailers, especially the well-capitalized operators of larger format C-stores, continues to grow.

John Crossman talks about his induction into the FSU Business Hall of Fame

In April, John Crossman, president of Orlando, Fla.-based real estate firm Crossman & Co., became the youngest inductee into the Florida State University College of Business Hall of Fame.

Established in 2003, FSU's College of Business Hall of Fame honors graduates who have excelled in their careers, earned significant recognition for professional achievements and community service, and made significant contributions to the mission of the College of Business.

Canton, Mass. – Dunkin’ Donuts plans to start offering gluten-free bakery items by the end of this year. Participating U.S. Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants will have the option to offer certified gluten-free bakery products, including a new gluten-free cinnamon sugar donut and a gluten-free blueberry muffin. Both items are certified gluten-free by the Gluten Free Certification Organization, prepared in a dedicated facility and individually packaged.

Chicago – A growing demand for on campus food service exists among US college and university students, according to new data from Technomic. The latest Technomic College & University Trend Report shows that 69% of college students purchase food and beverage from on-campus foodservice facilities once a week or more. This is close to the 71% of college students who did so in 2009 and is a substantial gain from the 62% who paid visits to campus foodservice facilities once a week or more in 2011.