Convenience Stores

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Kmart said Tuesday it is introducing a Halogen Reloadable Prepaid MasterCard by Green Dot.

Henderson, Nev. -- Efficiency upgrades at 621 7-Eleven stores in California, Washington, and Oregon, will result in an anticipated energy savings of approximately $1.2 million annually.

The upgrades were completed by Castrovilla, a subsidiary of Blue Earth, an energy efficiency and renewable energy services company. The project involved the installation of energy efficient electronically commutated motors, anti-sweat heater controls, evaporator fan controls, gaskets, door closers and strip curtains.

Minneapolis -- A Monday report in the Wall Street Journal said that grocery supplier C&S Wholesale Grocers is said to be interested in buying the distribution business of Supervalu Inc.

On July 11, Supervalu – which owns such grocery banners as Albertson’s, Jewel-Osco and Save-A-Lot – revealed it would explore a sale of all or part of the company. It said it had hired Goldman Sachs and Greenhill & Co. to launch a review of strategic options, including asset sales.

New York -- RCS Real Estate Advisors said Tuesday it has been retained by Diamond Wireless, a mall-based retailer and one of six National Premium retailers for Verizon Wireless, to provide advice and performance analysis to the retailer in the management of its real estate portfolio.

As Diamond Wireless continues to expand nationally, RCS said it is charged with ensuring that Diamond’s current and future site selections, which include both inline stores and kiosks, deliver the highest and best value and efficiencies available in the mall marketplace today.

Carpinteria, Calif. -- CKE Restaurants is planning to expand its Hardee's footprint in the Minneapolis area over the next several years and sees the potential to develop more than 59 new restaurants in the market.

“We are excited to expand in the Minneapolis area, and we're now looking for experienced multi-unit operators to join the brand,” said Jim Sullivan, CKE's senior VP domestic franchise development.

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New York -- Retail sales fell 0.5% in June, the Commerce Department said on Monday, as consumer spending declined for the third consecutive month. The drop, which followed a 0.2% decrease in May, was unexpected as many economists were expecting growth.

Falling gas prices were attributed to some of the weakness. But even excluding sales at gas stations, retail spending fell 0.3% in June. Economists said weak job growth was making consumers cautious and eating away at consumer confidence.

WASHINGTON — U.S. retail sales declined during the month of June, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday.

U.S. retail and food services sales for the month, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $401.5 billion, an decrease of 0.5% from the previous month but 3.8% above the year-ago period. Retail trade sales were down 0.5% from last month but 3.5% above last year.