Large Chains

Grocer Harris Teeter credited its pricing and promotional strategies for driving unit sales and customer visits, which led to increased net and same-store sales for fiscal 2013.

For fiscal 2013, sales rose 3.8% to $4.71 billion from $4.54 billion in the year-ago period. Same-store sales for the year increased 2.23%.

Ahold USA has appointed former executive for Asian retailer Dairy Farm International Gordon Reid as president of its Giant Food of Landover, Md., division.

Reid is replacing interim president and Ahold USA EVP operations Bhavdeep Singh. Singh served in the role of interim president following the departure of Anthony Hucker, who resigned from Giant-Landover in September to become EVP and chief strategy officer for St. Louis-based Schnuck Markets.

Publix credited its customer service for helping fuel third-quarter sale sales of $7 billion, a 5.6% increase from last year’s $6.7 billion. Comparable-store sales for the third quarter of 2013 increased 4.1%.

The company reported net earnings for the quarter of $359.9 million, a decrease of 2.3% from $368.4 million in 2012. Earnings per share for the third quarter decreased to $0.46 for 2013, down from $0.47 per share in 2012.

Chicago — Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa has leased 3,200 sq. ft. at Heritage Plaza in Carol Stream, Ill. This is the fourth Hand & Stone location in the Chicagoland area as the company continues to expand in the region.

Heritage Plaza is a 128,871-sq.-ft. shopping center anchored by Jewel Osco. CBRE www.cbre.com represented the management company, Inland American Retail Management LLC. Baum Realty Group represented Hand & Stone.

Salisbury, N.C. -- Bottom Dollar Food will open two new stores on Thursday, Oct. 31, one in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, and one in Ambler, Pa., bringing the market total for the discount grocery chain to 43 stores.

The two new stores add approximately 100 jobs to the greater Philadelphia economy. With the addition of the two new locations, Bottom Dollar Food now operates 62 stores in New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Each store is approximately 18,000 sq. ft.

Dallas — SRS Real Estate Partners’ southeast investment sales team has closed five retail shopping center sales since August. The transactions total more than $60 million and over 575,000 sq. ft. of retail real estate. Here are the details:

Grand Rapids, Mich. -- Meijer announced that it is now operating one of the largest all-clean diesel fleets in North America. As part of its ongoing green initiatives, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer's fleet utilized innovative technology to improve fuel efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint by nearly 60% since it first began implementing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2010 near-zero emissions standards three years ago.

Dave Moss was named vp of merchandising and three other executives were elevated to the vice president level at Tyler, Texas-based Brookshire Grocery Co.

Target Canada is on schedule to open 33 additional Canadian store locations spanning across nine provinces, including its first stores in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.

The retailer plans to open 31 stores Nov. 13, and the remaining two Nov. 22. Target will announce additional store openings beyond 2013 at a later date.  

Pleasanton, Calif. – Several buyout firms are reportedly considering attempting a partial or total purchase of Safeway Inc., with Cerberus Capital Management LP among the potential bidders, according to Reuters.

Safeway has retained Goldman Sachs Group Inc. as an advisor, the report said.