Convenience Stores

Toronto -- McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited and MasterCard Canada have introduced the MasterCard PayPass contactless payment technology at participating restaurant locations throughout the country.

PayPass point-of-sale payment terminals have been installed at more than 1,400 McDonald's restaurants in Canada, giving patrons the option to tap-and-go when making purchases.

New York City -- Convenience-store operator Sheetz will open a distribution facility by 2014 to support its expansion plans and increasing number of stores in the state, according to a report by The News & Observer. The distribution facility also will serve stores in southern Virginia and West Virginia, the report said.

Sheetz currently has 394 stores, with more than half in Pennsylvania. With a goal of 500 stores in three years, the chain is targeting North Carolina and West Virginia its top markets for expansion.

New York City -- Bob Evans Farms will extend its “Farm-Fresh Refresh” renovation project to 44 locations in the Detroit and Toledo, Ohio, areas. The renovations are expected to begin in August 2011 and be finished by this November.

The new stores will include a bakery, a carry-out area and a redesigned retail area. The updated design features murals in the entryway depicting the heritage of Bob Evans and more modern furnishings, light fixtures and brighter color schemes in the dining room.

Purchase, N.Y. -- A report released Thursday by MasterCard Advisors, which tracked sales activity in the MasterCard payments network coupled with cash and check estimates, said that June sales continued May’s mixed bag with some sectors gaining and some losing momentum.

Former Safeway real estate executive Dan Clayton has joined Denver-based Laramie Company as VP leasing. He previously served as real estate director at Safeway and in his new role will focus on tenant representation and project leasing.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. and WESTBOROUGH, Mass. — Costco and BJ’s reported some impressive same-store sales for June, but peel the onion back a bit and the numbers are not quite as stellar as they seem. Sam’s Club does not report monthly sales.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Fred's on Thursday reported sales of $179 million for the five weeks ended July 2, representing a relatively flat 0.1% increase, compared with the year-ago period.

Comparable-store sales for the month dropped 0.7%, compared with an increase of 1.7% in the same period last year.

Costco and BJ’s reported impressive same-store sales for June, and that’s good news for Sam’s Club. Given the strong correlation in performance between Sam’s and its direct competitors it is reasonable to assume Sam’s is on track to easily attain its second quarter same-store sales guidance, which calls for an increase in the range of 3% to 5%. Sam’s posted a first-quarter comp increase of 4.2% but doesn’t provide monthly updates.

Stronger-than-expected retail sales in June had media outlets using words like “soar” and “surge” to describe the gains reported by retailers who disclose monthly results. While it is probably overstating things to characterize increases of 4.5% at Target, 6.7% at Macy’s and 4.8% as Walgreens as anything other than an “increase,” the hyperbole on the part of the media and analysts can be forgiven because everything is relative, and the numbers are fantastic compared with earlier this year.

Former Walmart China executives Rob Cissell and Shawn Gray have joined the retail subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, according to the Economic Times of India. Cissell will serve Reliance CEO and Gray will serve as COO, according to the newspaper.