Supermarket/Grocery

New York City -- Starbucks Coffee Co. said Thursday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Tata Coffee Ltd., an Indian coffee bean provider, which will allow Starbucks to source and roast coffee beans at Tata's Coorg, India facility.

In addition, the deal will allow the companies to "explore the development of Starbucks retail stores in associated retail outlets and hotels," Starbucks said in a statement.

Walmart announced that it is funding Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom, a new initiative aimed at increasing breakfast consumption among schoolchildren and highlighting the academic and nutritional benefits of eating in the morning.

Walmart Foundation donated $3 million to the initiative being run collectively by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), National Association of Elementary School Principals Foundation, National Education Association Health Information Network, and School Nutrition Foundation.

Minneapolis -- Supervalu on Thursday announced the expansion of its exclusive in-store nutritional navigation program, "nutrition iQ," to include the fresh food departments and more robust nutrition information for the center store.

Chicago -- Walgreens’ massive Customer Centric Retailing initiative is transforming the way the company’s stores are merchandised and designed as it rolls into an ever-larger proportion of its more than 7,600 stores across the United States. But it’s only the opening drive in a campaign to “reinvent the customer experience in our stores,” president and CEO Greg Wasson told shareholders Wednesday.

The Dec. 23 edition of SiteTalk referenced a recent survey, which found that driving responsible growth, in addition to protecting and building the brand, is a chief priority for retailers in 2011. We asked you, our readers, if that priority was consistent with your 2011 objectives. Here is what one reader had to say.

El Segundo, Calif. -- Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market on Wednesday said it will open its first stores in Northern California in March and April, with the first two scheduled to open March 2 in San Jose and Danville. Nine additional locations are scheduled to open in the area within the two-month time frame.

Fresh & Easy also said it also plans to open two stores in San Francisco early this year.

New York City -- Supervalu reported a loss for its third quarter, dragged down by falling revenue and asset values, tighter margins and the cost of closing some stores. The grocer cut its full-year outlook based on the poor performance.

Supervalu, which operates Alberstons, Jewel-Osco and other supermarket chains, reported a loss of $202 million for the quarter, compared with net income of $109 million in the same quarter last year.

Alpharetta, Ga. -- RedPrairie, a supply chain and labor management systems provider, announced it has finalized the acquisition of SofTechnics, Columbus, Ohio, a provider of in-store software such as price and inventory management, intelligent store ordering and direct-store delivery.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Minneapolis -- Target is opening 21 stores across 12 states, the retailer announced Tuesday.

Among the openings include five stores in California, a third store in Hawaii and a SuperTarget in Minnesota.

“Target takes great pride in designing stores that meet the needs of our guests and the communities we serve,” said John Griffith, Target executive VP. “With the addition of an expanded fresh food assortment, our new stores will offer guests everything they need in one convenient location.”

Chicago -- Year-over-year retail sales rose a solid 4% for the 2010 holiday shopping season (November/December), according to ShopperTrak’s National Retail Sales Estimate.

Conversely, total U.S. foot traffic fell slightly below expectations as consumers continued the pattern retailers saw throughout 2010 of fewer mall and individual store visits with a larger spend. ShopperTrak’s revised holiday forecast called for a 1.8% traffic increase.