Supermarket/Grocery

ST. LOUIS — Save-A-Lot is raising awareness for its stores as a destination for affordable food with the help of two contest winners. Molly Stankovsky and Alex Frecon, who won a national competition, will lead the retailer's "2012 Fuel Your Family Road Trip" across 18 cities in 30 days.

El Segundo, Calif. -- A Thursday report by Supermarket News said that Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market has eliminated as many as 40 positions at its corporate offices.

While the number of layoffs has not been confirmed, sources say it nears 40 jobs, mostly in real estate and store-opening support.
 

New Orleans -- New Orleans has rolled out the red carpet in order to assure the first Costco location in the state.

The city council on Thursday unanimously approved nearly $6 million in financial incentives for a planned Costco in the New Orleans suburb of Carrollton.  
 
The $45 million, 148,000-sq.-ft. Costco marks the warehouse club operator’s state debut, to reportedly be followed by a second in the capital city of Baton Rouge.

The New Orleans store is slated to open late summer 2013.
 

Walmart is used to encountering opposition to its new stores, just not in its own backyard.

However, that is what’s been happening in the sprawling master planned community of Bella Vista, Ark., where residents, some of them anyway, are up in arms over a planned Walmart Neighborhood Market. They say the location of the proposed stores is a poor choice and the 24-hour store with four gas pumps will bring additional traffic to an already busy road.

Plymouth Meeting, Pa. -- Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust said that Charming Charlie has opened a 12,000-sq.-ft. store at Plymouth Meeting Mall, in Plymouth Meeting, Pa.

The mall is anchored by Macy’s, Boscov’s, and Whole Foods Market and Café, and features more than 100 specialty retailers.
 

River Forest, Ill. -- Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.-based Mid-America Asset Management said that DSW has signed a lease for 28,000 sq. ft. at River Forest Town Center in Chicago’s west suburbs.

The shoe retailer is taking space vacated by Linens ‘n Things and plans to open in fall 2012 as a new anchor joining The Children’s Place, The Loft, Chico’s, Whole Foods, Panera Bread, Petco and Walgreens.   
 

NEW YORK — Volume sales for U.S. consumer packaged goods have fallen since last year due to higher prices, less promotional support and soaring temperatures, according to Nielsen SVP consumer and shopper insights Todd Hale.

By Jason Hamilton, [email protected]

On the job hunt, experience matters.

Or, does it? Maybe not as much as many job seekers and hourly employers might think.