Supermarket/Grocery

New York -- The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index, released on Wednesday, decreased slightly in July, marking the first decline since February 2012. 

The Index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending.

The Annual State of the Industry Report is the centerpiece of this issue of Chain Store Age, and it’s a great read. It’s also very timely.

I’ve written before about the ongoing trend of some of the biggest names in retail downsizing. Now I’m seeing how brands like Target, Wal-Mart and Office Depot are rolling out smaller new store formats in urban environments, and it has me thinking about how this downsizing phenomenon might be even more important than many people realize.

Indianapolis -- The Finish Line announced Wednesday it has named Greg Beidler as senior VP store operations for the chain.

Beidler was previously regional operations director for Sam’s Club/Wal-Mart Corp., and has served in management roles for GameStop, Brown Shoe, Circuit City and Athlete’s Foot.

Purchase, N.Y. -- A SpendingPulse report Tuesday by MasterCard Advisors, in partnership with Wells Fargo, found that July spending at small retailers slowed to 6% year over year. 

This was lower than June’s small retailer growth rate of 8%. The July report also found that with or without food service and gasoline sales, July’s small business growth was the lowest for the past 12 months.

Washington, D.C. -- Fueled by strength from department stores, electronics and the automobile sector, retail sales advanced 0.8% in July, the first gain in four months, according to a report released Tuesday by the Commerce Dept.

The bigger-than-expected increase followed a 0.7% decline in June that was weaker than first reported. Bloomberg forecast a 0.3% rise in July. The results have buoyed feelings overall that the economy may be improving, albeit at a moderate pace.

MODESTO, Calif. — Save Mart Supermarkets announced that all of its banners — including Save Mart, S-Mart Foods, Lucky, FoodMaxx and Maxx Value Foods stores — will be raising funds for children's hospitals in California and Nevada.

Dubai, India -- A Monday report by Reuters said that French retailer Auchan has entered into a franchise agreement with Max Hypermarket, India.

Max operates 13 hypermarkets in India, which will be rebranded as Auchan stores in early 2013.

The pair said they plan to open 12-15 new stores annually across India. Because Max Hypermarket India Ltd is controlled by retail and hospitality company Landmark Group, which operates hypermarkets under the Max brand only in India and therefore is not restricted under foreign ownership regulations.