Convenience Stores

Minneapolis -- Supervalu on Monday that it is not removing the self check-out lanes from the 460 Albertsons stores that it owns and operates in Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Nevada, Southern California, Utah, Washington state and Wyoming.

Indio, Calif. -- Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers announced that Party City has opened Coachella Valley’s first store, at Regency’s Indio Towne Center, in Indio, Calif.

The new 20,390-sq.-ft. store will open this fall, joining an under-construction Toys “R” Us/Babies “R” Us, also slated to open in the fall.

New York City -- British retail giant Tesco Ltd. has broken new ground, creating virtual stores in subway stations in Seoul, South Korea, as a way to make grocery shopping more convenient for the city’s busy urban residents. Tesco launched the unique venture for its Homeplus chain, which operates 115 stores in South Korea. The virtual stores were created by Cheil Worldwide of Korea.

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.

Denver -- Qdoba Mexican Grill announced Friday that it has opened a new location at Janss Marketplace, located in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

This is the first Qdoba location in Thousand Oaks, and the 12th location in Southern California for the chain.
 

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.