Convenience Stores

Daqing, China -- QKL Stores said Monday that it opened a new hypermarket store, its 51st, in Hailin County, Heilongjiang Province, on April 15.

The new store by Northeast China’s leading regional supermarket chain is approximately 7,300 sq. meters and is located in a small shopping center in a newly developed residential area which can serve over 80,000 potential customers.

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. -- Mid-America Asset Management said that several retail leases have been completed at six shopping centers in Chicago’s western suburbs. Mid-America is the exclusive leasing representative of each of the centers.

The Shops at South Elgin (South Elgin, Ill.) signed a lease for 6,604 sq. ft. with independent health food/vitamin retailer Fruitful Yield, to expand the current tenant’s space by 3,264 sq. ft. The newly expanded store is expected to open June 1.

When it comes to speed and accuracy, helpfulness and courtesy, knowledge and personal service, the pharmacy at Walmart ranked dead last in a survey of Consumers Reports subscribers that appears in the May issue of the publication.

The timing of Walmart’s new ad campaign couldn’t be better with Easter a week away, and a considerable amount of sales volume associated with that holiday still in play. Walmart should be able to get its share of that spending as the heavy rotation of ads reminds shoppers of its everyday low prices on the broadest assortment in the land and an easy price match guarantee.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Best Buy said that it plans to open hundreds of wireless device stores, as well as expand online and in China in an effort to be more competitive as consumers up their online shopping. The chain is also scaling back the size of its signature namesake format. 

In an analyst conference Thursday, the retailer unveiled plans to shrink square footage at big-box stores by 10% over the next three to five years, a move that Best Buy said will eventually save $70 million to $80 million annually.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- RadioShack announced that it is giving customers the chance to win the new eco-friendly Nissan Leaf simply by trading in their used electronics devices.

From April 17 to 23, customers can bring in eligible working products and accessories into any participating RadioShack store and enter to win a Nissan LEAF, the only 100% electric, zero-emissions vehicle available in the mass market. 

Minneapolis -- Supervalu reported Thursday that net income for the quarter ended Feb. 26 slipped 2% to $95 million, compared with $97 million in the year-ago period, but results still beat Wall Street expectations.

Performance was impacted by softer sales, which dropped 6% to $8.66 billion, missing Wall Street's estimate of $8.73 billion. Same-store sales fell 5%.

Supervalu, which operates Albertsons, Jewel-Osco and Save-A-Lot chains, launched a turnaround plan more than a year ago.

Salisbury, N.C. -- Bottom Dollar, a division of Delhaize American, has entered the Philadelphia market, opening a 17,000 sq.-ft. store.

“While we have opened 18 stores in the greater metropolitan area, this is our first store in the heart of Philadelphia, and we are truly ecstatic,” said Meg Ham, president, Bottom Dollar Food, said in a statement.