Convenience Stores

Colorado Springs, Colo. -- Addison, Texas-based Coyote Management LP said that Jimmy John’s will open a 1,665-sq.-ft. sandwich shop at Chapel Hills Mall, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The new restaurant is slated to open this fall.

Chapel Hills Mall is a two-level, 1.2 million-sq.-ft. enclosed super-regional mall anchored by Dillard’s, J.C. Penney, Macy’s, Sears, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Burlington Coat Factory.
 

Austin -- H-E-B, Walmart, Sam’s Club and Denny’s are among the companies that will host some 103 electric vehicle charging stations in Austin, Texas., allowing customers to plug in while they shop. The stations are part of Utility Austin Energy’s Plug-In EVerywhere network.

The charging stations are available for use by everyone with an electric vehicle. Austin Energy offers a $25 six-month subscription swipe card for unlimited charging at any network location. Otherwise, a credit card can be used for $2 per hour of charging.

Costco and BJ’s Wholesale Club continue to produce solid sales growth aided by high gas prices, shoppers desire to save money and their ability to pass through food price inflations.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark posted second-quarter results that were at the high end of its guidance and narrowed its 2011 outlook on continued confidence. But it was the PBM business — and the potential merger of PBM rivals Express Scripts and Medco Health Solutions — that was top of mind for many industry observers, and was a topic that CVS Caremark president and CEO Larry Merlo hit head on at the start of Thursday morning’s conference call.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Fred's on Thursday reported sales of $452.7 million, up 1% compared with the year-ago period, for the second quarter ended July 30. On a comparable-store basis, second-quarter sales decreased 0.4% versus an increase of 2.5% in the same period last year.

"July's sales performance was consistent with the first two months of the quarter as external economic factors, including high unemployment and reductions in government aid, continued to have a negative impact throughout the Southeast," stated Bruce Efird, Fred's CEO.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart announced that through its Acres for America program it is donating $500,000 to help protect, conserve and restore fragile urban ecosystems in Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. 

Little reason to believe Sam’s Club won’t easily meet or possibly exceed second-quarter same-store guidance that calls for an increase of 3% to 5%, following reports this week from Costco and BJ’s Wholesale club. Sam’s results correlate closely to its warehouse club rivals, and they both reported solid gains even after excluding the distorting effect of higher year-over-year gas prices.

July same-store sales at Fred’s declined 0.5% and that’s not a particularly good sign for Walmart, as the company prepares to release its quarterly results on Aug. 16. Fred’s appeals to lower income shoppers at its 672 stores in the Southeastern U.S. where the company has considerable overlap with Walmart.

As residents of San Jose, Calif., my wife Pamela and I have our choice of some of the nation’s leading grocers: Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Safeway. These companies set a high standard when it comes to quality and service, so it was with some reluctance, but a sense of adventure, that we gave Walmart To Go a try.