Mass Merchant

Ask six senior merchandising executives from Walmart and Sam’s Club what keeps them up at night and be prepared for an interesting collection of answers relating to key competitors and assorted challenges.

That’s what Scott Huff, SVP/GMM of consumable at Walmart did this week during a panel discussion with six Walmart and Sam’s Club VP/DMMs during the Emerging Trends in Retail Conference organized by the Center for Retailing Excellence in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas.

Camp Hill, Pa. – Rite Aid reported a same-store sales increase of 2.1% for October 2013 as compared to the same month in the prior year. Front-end same-store sales actually decreased 0.6%, but gains of 3.4% in pharmacy same-store sales and a 1.1% jump in prescription count drove the total growth.

Lay's will be introducing Lay's Wavy Potato Chips Dipped in Milk Chocolate next week, according to a report from USA Today.

The chips, priced at $3.49 for a 5-oz. bag, will only be sold at Target for a limited time through the holidays. If the product is successful it could become a permanent fixture on store shelves, according to Ram Krishnan, VP marketing at Frito-Lay.

New York -- TJMaxx has signed a lease at the Brass Mill Commons in Waterbury, Conn., according to Charter Realty and Development, TJMaxx’s representative in the negotiations.

The new TJ Maxx store will be 22,889 sq. ft. and the 26th deal that Charter has leased to TJX. TJMaxx is a division of TJX, which also owns Marshall’s and HomeGoods.

Bank holding company Green Dot and Walmart have expanded the line of MoneyCard branded reloadable prepaid debit cards to include six new card types.

Prior to the latest agreement, Green Dot offered three version of prepaid debit products at 4,100 Walmart stores.

Columbus, Ohio – Lane Bryant opened four new stores on Nov. 1. The stores are located at University Mall in Carbondale, Ill., and Bey Lea Plaza in Toms River, N.J.

The retailer also opens two refreshed stores on Nov. 1, at Pavilion Center in Dallas and Las Palmas Marketplace Shopping Center location in El Paso, Texas.

San Francisco – Almost nine-in-10 (88%) consumers will shop in stores this holiday season, compared to 75% who will shop online and 16% who will shop via mobile device. A new Harris Interactive survey co-sponsored by Aerohive Networks and Euclid also shows that physical retailers still need to address consumer concerns regarding in-store holiday shopping.

Specifically, consumers are most concerned about crowds (42%), lines (29%), and out-of-stock items (15%) affecting their in-store holiday shopping this year.

Wayne, N.J. -- Toys “R” Us is expanding its point-based Rewards “R” Us loyalty program as it gears up for one of the most competitive holiday seasons in years. The added incentives include a first-ever, private pre-Black Friday incentive.