Mass Merchant

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. -- Redbox Automated Retail, a division of Coinstar, announced Tuesday it has renewed its agreement with Walmart to continue featuring Redbox kiosks at more than 3,700 Walmart locations nationwide.

The agreement extends the availability of Redbox kiosks and builds upon the companies' more than five-year relationship, said Redbox.

The first Redbox kiosks were installed in Walmart stores in 2006.
 

North Plainfield, N.J. -- A survey released Monday by Levin Management Corp., which polled retailers within its 12.5 million-sq.-ft. shopping center portfolio in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York, found a general feeling of post-holiday optimism.

New York City -- In a break with longstanding company tradition, Walmart is moving its greeters from its lobbies into the stores near the cash registers, Bloomberg reported.

In their new location, the greeters will be able to direct shoppers to products they are looking for, and also to shorter checkout lines, the report said.

Pleasanton, Calif. -- Safeway Inc. named Lori Raya as president of its Vons division.

In her most recent position as senior VP, Main Meal, Raya had responsibility for the company's largest portfolio of center-store business units including ingredients, beverages and snacks.

It was a record year for online sales this past holiday season, but Target saw others experience stronger growth, according to the most recent site visitation statistics from online measurement firm comScore.

As previously reported, the size of the prize this holiday season was $37.2 billion. That’s the volume of online sales comScore recorded during November and December, which was a 15% increase from the prior year.

Paris -- Carrefour, the second largest retailer in the world after Wal-Mart Stores, has selected French retailing veteran Georges Plassat, 62, as its next CEO and chairman.

Bowie, Md. -- Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers said it has leased retail space to three new tenants at Bowie Plaza, located in Bowie, Md.

Opening its fifth gym in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore market, Fitness 4 Less is relocating to 21,750 sq. ft. in Bowie Plaza. Peeper’s Family Eye Care leased 2,400 sq. ft. of retail space, and Dunkin’ Donuts, offering a drive-thru option, leased 1,600 sq. ft. of space.

All three businesses are slated to open in spring 2012.

The appointment of 16-year Target veteran John Mulligan as the company’s new CFO makes a lot of sense as Target will benefit from continuity of leadership in its finance department.