Supermarket/Grocery

Sam’s Club president and CEO Brian Cornell may have been the last of Walmart’s three divisional presidents to speak on the company’s conference call, but he had the best news to share.

Sam’s produced a 5.7% third-quarter same-store sales increase that was unaided by fuel prices, and Cornell indicated the string of seven consecutive quarters of sequentially increasing comps could be extended in the fourth quarter, with guidance that set 6% as the upper end of the forecast range. 

Queens, N.Y. -- Onex Real Estate Partners said that Taiwanese tea brand Coco Fresh Tea & Juice has opened its newest teashop at Sky View Center, the 800,000-sq.-ft., multi-level regional mall in downtown Flushing, N.Y.

The 600-sq.-ft. teashop operates a sister location on Main Street, in Flushing.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Winn-Dixie on Wednesday announced it has joined forces with Feeding America to launch the Give a Meal program, which gives Winn-Dixie guests and team members the opportunity to help provide food to nearly 37 million Americans — including more than 14 million children — facing hunger this holiday season. Give a Meal runs through Jan. 3 and is available in all of Winn-Dixie’s 482 stores in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Bethesda, Md. -- Streetsense announced that Founding Farmers restaurant has opened a 7,000-sq.-ft. location at Park Potomac, an 110,000-sq.-ft retail center that is part of a mixed-use community developed by Foulger-Pratt of Rockville, Md.

The new restaurant, which is described as “barnyard chic” and featuring natural ingredients, is joined by Harris Teeter grocery store, as well as Elevation Burger, Emily Grace Fashion Boutique, Love Couture Bridal, Wine Harvest, Zoe's Kitchen, and other shops and services.

SALISBURY, N.C. — Network growth and higher retail inflation prompted growth in both revenues and comparable-store sales for Delhaize America, the U.S. division of Delhaize Group, for the third quarter ended Sept. 30.

Revenues realized a gain of 3.5% to $4.9 billion, compared with the year-ago period, while comparable-store sales jumped 1.9%. Delhaize, however, acknowledged that due to the economic environment and the decrease of consumer confidence, particularly in the southeastern United States, volume trends were down from the previous quarter.

New York City -- Excitement over unexpected in-store deals has diminished as discounted prices become an anticipated part of the consumer products shopping experience, according to the Deloitte/Harrison Group annual American Pantry Survey.

PITTSBURGH — Giant Eagle has named Laura Shapira Karet CEO and John Lucot president and COO. Both appointments are effective Jan. 9, 2012. 

Karet, 42, is taking over the position from her father David Shapira, who will assume the position of executive chairman of Giant Eagle's board of directors. Shapira has served as CEO 1980.

New York City -- Waste Management and Publix Super Markets announced the opening of the Okeechobee Organics Recycling Facility, which uses advanced aerated composting technology to process food residuals.

The eight-acre facility, located adjacent to Waste Management’s Okeechobee Landfill, utilizes a forced aeration system with computer controls to regulate airflow and air treatment to process pre-consumer food waste from Publix stores -- including produce, bakery and floral items -- with yard waste into organic compost products.