Supermarket/Grocery

New York -- There were few missteps among the discounters in January, as most posted strong results, many surpassing Wall Street expectations.

Target reported a same-store sales rise of 3.1%, topping Wall Street expectations. Total sales surged 29.6% to $5.97 billion in January.

Duluth, Ga. -- NCR announced it has completed its acquisition of Retalix Ltd., a leading global provider of retail software and services.

Chicago -- Seventy-eight percent of those who celebrate Valentine’s Day plan to shop a week or less before the actual day, and still many wait until Feb. 13 or Feb. 14 to purchase, finds recent by The NPD Group.

Women do not begin their Valentine’s Day shopping much earlier than men; one-in-three female buyers (32%) wraps up her shopping Feb. 13-14, and 47% of men made their final Valentine’s Day purchase on Feb. 13 or 14, according to NPD’s SnackTrack Holidays Valentine’s Day Profile.

By Gary Glick, partner, Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP

New York -- Social media isn’t likely to become an important retail channel anytime soon, according to a new report by PwC. The study, “Demystifying the Online Shopper: 10 Myths of Multichannel Retailing,” found that in-store shopping is still center to the shopping experience.

“Our report finds that the physical store remains the centerpiece of the purchase journey, while devices are used significantly for product research and deals,” said Susan McPartlin, PwC’s U.S. retail & consumer sector leader.

By Jeff Weidauer, [email protected]

Cincinnati -- The Kroger Co. announced the promotion of Jeff Burt as president of the company's Central division. Kroger's Central Division operates 136 food stores primarily in Indiana and Illinois.

Burt, 50, has been group VP of perishables merchandising and procurement since 2010. He succeeds Bob Moeder, who recently announced his plans to retire this spring.

Bryn Mawr, Pa. -- WP Realty and Angelo, Gordon & Co. announced Tuesday the sale of Fairlawn Town Centre located in Fairlawn, Ohio.
 
Fairlawn is located just west of Akron; Fairlawn Town Centre is a 447,037-sq.-ft. community shopping center anchored by Giant Eagle, Target (separately owned), Home Goods, Pet Supplies Plus, Ashley Furniture and Marc’s. In-line retail tenants include U.S. Post Office, Chuck E. Cheese, Panera Bread, GNC, Subway and RadioShack.