Retail

New York -- Staples and RadioShack Corp. have removed Amazon lockers from their stores, according to Bloomberg. The chains were among a group of retailers who have been testing the system.

According to the report, Staples ended the partnership with Amazon because it didn’t meet the criteria the two companies set up, while RadioShack said the program did not fit with its strategy.

Seattle -- Starbucks Corporation is requesting that customers no longer bring guns onto its property, either inside or outside its stores — even in states where “open carry” laws permit them to do so — with the exclusion of law enforcement personnel.

Company founder, chairman and CEO Howard Schultz made the request in an open letter posted under his name on the Starbucks website. The company plans to buy ad space in major national newspapers to run the letter.

Roseville, Calif. – Revionics, Inc. and Nielsen Holdings, N.V., have signed a multi-year global strategic alliance agreement which will integrate Nielsen Pricing Insights with Revionics Life Cycle Price Optimization solutions. The alliance brings together Nielsen competitive market data with demand-based predictive analytics to help retailers quickly make data-driven pricing changes at enterprise scale to capitalize on competitive marketplace conditions.

Phoenix -- Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has completed the implementation of the Manthan Systems ARC BI platform and merchandise analytics technology in 166 retail stores across eight states.

New York – Saks Inc. plans to open seven new Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th stores in 2014: The Outlets at Bloomfield in Pearl, Miss.; Potomac Mills in Woodbridge, Va.; Palm Beach Outlets in West Palm Beach, Fla; Outlet Shoppes at Louisville/Lexington, Ky.; Twin Cities of Eagan in Minneapolis, Minn.; The Mayfair Collection in Mayfair, Wis.; and Easton Gateway in Columbus, Ohio.

Pittsburgh -- Dick’s Sporting Goods on Wednesday detailed its long-term plan to deliver sales and operating profit growth and drive shareholder value over the next five years, with the company’s namesake stores, new Field & Stream retail format and omnichannel platform driving its growth.

Boulder, Col. -- Publix Pharmacy is North America’s favorite based on customer satisfaction, according to a new study of 3,600 consumers conducted by customer intelligence solutions provider Market Force Information. Target was a close second and Kroger ranked third. All three received high marks in operational attributes such as service, cleanliness, atmosphere and checkout times.

Walgreens and CVS/pharmacy ranked the highest when those consumers were asked to name their pharmacy chain, with 18% identifying Walgreens and 17% CVS.