Mass Merchant

When it comes to expanding its store portfolio, At Home has barely gotten started.   Reporting strong results for the fourth quarter and full year, the home décor retailer also said it plans to open 25 new stores this year, with the potential for almost 500 more locations over the long term.    

Walmart is going on the offense as German grocery giant Lidl prepares to enter the United States this summer.   The discounter has rolled out a new prototype for its Neighborhood Market grocery-store concept in a handful of markets nationwide.   

Meijer continues to expand its presence in the Indianapolis area.   On May 2, the retailer will open two supercenter in McCordsville, Ind., and one in Franklin, Ind.   The Indianapolis-area supercenters are two of seven new stores Meijer is opening in Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin this year.  

A new deal could give Amazon a foothold in the Middle East.   Amazon has agreed in principle to buy Souq.com, a leader in the Middle East's online shopping market, according to a report in Reuters.   

The way has been cleared for retailers to challenge swipe fees in the coming years.    The Supreme Court on Monday declined to reinstate a class-action lawsuit settlement that would have blocked merchants from challenging Visa and MasterCard over credit card swipe fees.    

MC Sports, a longtime fixture in the Midwest that filed for bankruptcy in February, has put leases on its stores in seven states up for auction.   The 58 stores range in size from 11,000 to 46,000 sq. ft. and are located in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Bids are due by April 7 to A&G Realty Partners, which is handling the auction.  

Sportsman's Warehouse has named Jon Barker president and COO, effective March 31.   Barker, who holds 25 years of retail experience will direct the marketing, supply chain, operations, compliance and technology functions for Sportsman's Warehouse, and will also lead the expansion of the company's e-commerce business.   

Three very different retailers earned the top score in a survey of customer experience.   Ace Hardware, BJ's Wholesale Club, and QVC deliver the best customer experience in the retail industry, according to the 2017 Temkin Experience Ratings, an annual customer experience ranking of companies based on a survey of 10,000 U.S. consumers.