Mass Merchant

SHELTON, Conn. — Schick, an Energizer Personal Care brand, is expanding the Schick Hydro franchise of razors with the launch of new Schick Hydro 5 disposables and Schick Hydro Silk disposables.

A new research report by The NPD Group unveiled information I already knew:  the restaurant space is growing by leaps and bounds. In fact, the total restaurant count in the U.S. increased by 4,442 units over last year, according to NPD’s recent restaurant census Fall 2012 ReCount.

That’s no small potatoes.

Some 616,008 eateries now dot the country, representing a .7% increase over last year, with the biggest growth coming from the quick-serve segment (up 1% over last year, or an added 4,037 units).

When Target recently announced its new online price matching policy, I’m sure I wasn’t the only retail analyst whose first thought was: “This could be a pretty big deal.” While a number of retailers (including Target itself) have experimented with similar price-matching or pricing guarantee programs in the past, this new policy takes things to a new level.

New York -- Wegmans has confirmed plans to open a store in Alexandria, Va., in 2014, according to Washington Business Journal.

The store will be located in Hilltop Village, which is being developed by Houston-based Weingarten Realty Investors. The project will feature some 250,000 sq. ft. of retail, anchored by the 143,000-sq.-ft. Wegmans, and 100,000 sq. ft. of office.

Dallas -- Tuesday Morning Corp. announced the appointment of John C. Rossler as executive VP, COO, effective immediately.

Rossler has been serving as an executive advisor to Tuesday Morning since October, 2012, and his focus has been primarily on operational efficiencies, including overall cost control, supply chain and real estate.

Former Haggar executive Paul Buxbaum was named CEO of apparel manufacturer Hampshire Group.

Buxbaum, 57, replaces Heath Golden who resigned as president and CEO and also plans to vacate his position as a board member.

"Heath Golden has overseen Hampshire through a difficult period in its history and led a transformation of our business, resulting in a company with prospects of growth and profitability," said board chairman Peter Woodward.

NEW YORK — Expect to see more consumer package goods on warehouse club shelves, as a new survey reveals this to be a high growth area for CPG companies.

According to new research from Deloitte, consumer products executives expect their highest growth to come from the warehouse club channel compared with any other retail sales channel over the next three years, including mass merchandise, grocery, and e-commerce.

New York -- Walmart on Tuesday updated its plans for its Canadian division, saying that it plans to complete at least 37 supercenter projects in the country during the company’s next fiscal year (February 1, 2013 to January 31, 2014). The announcement comes a couple of months before Target Corp.’s spring launch of its stores in Canada.