Convenience Stores

Minneapolis -- Caribou Coffee Co. said Wednesday it has opened its 100th international operating location, located in Istanbul, Turkey. The new store, which opened May 10, is in partnership with master franchisee Al Sayer Group and Turkey's Yildiz Holding, and is Caribou's sixth store in Turkey.

Al Sayer Group currently operates 89 of Caribou's 100 international locations in Turkey, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles City Council voted 13-1 to ban plastic bags at supermarket checkouts, becoming the largest city in the nation to approve such a law.

The council voted to phase out plastic bags during the next 16 months at an estimated 7,500 stores, meaning shoppers will need to bring reusable bags or purchase paper bags for 10 cents each.

New York -- The Los Angeles City Council voted 13-1 to ban plastic bags at supermarket checkouts, becoming the largest city in the nation to approve such a law.

The council voted to phase out plastic bags during the next 16 months at an estimated 7,500 stores, meaning shoppers will need to bring reusable bags or purchase paper bags for 10 cents each.

Chicago -- A new report by Jones Lang LaSalle found that with 92% of retailers selling online, 68% maintaining brick-and-mortar stores, and 64% utilizing catalogs, retailers are embracing a multichannel approach to meet buyer expectations and battle for market share.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Costco reported net sales of $21.85 billion for the third quarter, an 8% increase over sales of $20.19 billion for the same period last year. Comparable-club sales for the quarter increased 5%, which consisted of a 5% increase in the United States and a 5% increase internationally. Excluding the impact of fuel, total comps were still up 5%, however U.S. comps were 4% and international comps were 8% when adjusted for gasoline inflation.

Memphis, Tenn. -- Fred's Inc. reported Thursday that profit for the quarter ended April 28 rose 9.9% to $10.5 million, compared with $9.5 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue increased 3.3% to $500.5 million, edging Wall Street’s expected $500.3 million, but same-store sales dipped 0.4%.

The company opened three new regular stores and four express pharmacy stores during the quarter, as part of its plan to open 22 to 28 stores this year.
 

By Rick Parker, [email protected]

“Is there a better job out there?”

This is a question that hourly employees within retail industry are asking themselves more frequently, often leading them to say “I quit,” to their current employer.

Consider trends from the government’s latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey (JOLTs):

Walmart U.S. CEO Bill Simon delivered an optimistic message about Walmart U.S.’s performance during the first quarter and its potential for the coming year during a presentation at a Morgan Stanley conference in Boston Wednesday. Ahead of the Walmart’s upcoming shareholders’ meeting, Simon talked about leveraging a more efficient supply chain to drive costs down, lower prices and improve traffic and shared insights on the company’s plans for growth in the second quarter and beyond.