Mass Merchant

January same-store sales grew 4% at Costco’s U.S. locations excluding fuel sales.

In case you missed it, one of America’s biggest and most iconic brands was in the news recently for something other than the latest sales figures: Wal-Mart announced an ambitious plan to hire approximately 100,000 veterans over the next five years.

New York -- There were few missteps among the discounters in January, as most posted strong results, many surpassing Wall Street expectations.

Target reported a same-store sales rise of 3.1%, topping Wall Street expectations. Total sales surged 29.6% to $5.97 billion in January.

New York -- Social media isn’t likely to become an important retail channel anytime soon, according to a new report by PwC. The study, “Demystifying the Online Shopper: 10 Myths of Multichannel Retailing,” found that in-store shopping is still center to the shopping experience.

“Our report finds that the physical store remains the centerpiece of the purchase journey, while devices are used significantly for product research and deals,” said Susan McPartlin, PwC’s U.S. retail & consumer sector leader.

Bentonville, Ark. — Walmart and Mother Nature Network are inviting people to use Twitter to express their green ideas for the chance to win a $100 Walmart gift card.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart and Mother Nature Network are inviting people to use Twitter to express their green ideas for the chance to win a $100 Walmart gift card.

Chicago -- Seventy-eight percent of those who celebrate Valentine’s Day plan to shop a week or less before the actual day, and still many wait until Feb. 13 or Feb. 14 to purchase, finds recent by The NPD Group.

Women do not begin their Valentine’s Day shopping much earlier than men; one-in-three female buyers (32%) wraps up her shopping Feb. 13-14, and 47% of men made their final Valentine’s Day purchase on Feb. 13 or 14, according to NPD’s SnackTrack Holidays Valentine’s Day Profile.

CINCINNATI — Kroger has promoted Jeff Burt, formerly group VP perishables, merchandising and procurement, to president of the company's Central division. Kroger's Central Division operates 136 food stores primarily in Indiana and Illinois.

Mr. Burt, 50, has been group vice president of perishables merchandising and procurement since 2010. He succeeds Bob Moeder, who recently announced his plans to retire this spring.