Sales & Marketing

American consumers may not like inflation, but retailers are enjoying the favorable impact rising prices have on their same-store sales calculations. It was evident last month when retailers reported healthy comp increases and more of the same could be in store for July as it appears retailers are effectively passing through increased prices to shoppers.

Grand Rapids, Mich. -- Grocery retailer Meijer announced it will open a 14th Chicago-area store, this one under its Meijer Marketplace banner designed to bring a smaller-size localized concept to the Melrose Park neighborhood.

Meijer Marketplace spans 96,000 sq. ft. – about half the size of the grocer’s supercenters – and features a tailored offering as well as a variety of general merchandise items.

SIDNEY, Neb. — Despite heat waves throughout the country that made leaving the indoors unbearable this summer, consumers still took the time to enjoy the great outdoors, as evidenced by the strong first-quarter results reported by Cabela's. The outdoor sporting goods retailer reported that total revenue for the first quarter increased 7.7% to $562.1 million. For the quarter, comparable-store sales increased 4.4%. 

BENTONVILLE, Ark.  — The Walton Family Foundation revealed Wednesday that it will donate $50 million to Teach For America, a commitment that stands to nearly double the size of the organization’s teaching ranks.

The charity that was created by the founder of Wal-Mart Stores will mete out half of the funds over a three-year period, and will increase the number of teachers to 15,000 by 2015. The remaining half of the donation will support the training of existing Teach for America instructors in seven communities.

Austin -- Whole Foods Market reported Wednesday a profit jump of 35% to $88.5 million, compared with $65.7 million in the year-earlier period.

Revenue rose 11% to $2.4 billion, meeting Wall Street expectations, and same-store sales rose 8.4%.

Wal-Mart Stores president and CEO Mike Duke was on Capitol Hill this week making the case for modernizing the U.S. tax code even as Democratic and Republican lawmakers continued to engage in brinksmanship over what all agree is a disturbing level of national indebtedness. Duke testified before the United States Senate Committee on Finance, which was holding hearings on CEO perspectives on how the tax code affects hiring, businesses and economic growth. A transcript of his prepared remarks appears below:

St. Louis -- Build-A-Bear Workshop reported Thursday that it narrowed its loss in the quarter ended July 2 to $6.7 million, compared with a loss of $8.5 million in the year-ago period.

The retailer increased total revenue 10% to $81.8 million, and consolidated same-store sales 7.1%.

The retailer cited improved efficiencies and reduced expenses for the performance improvements.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid’s same-store sales increased by 1.9% in July, the retail pharmacy chain said Thursday.

During the four-week period ended July 23, comp sales jumped 3.1% on the front end and 1.4% in the pharmacy, including a 151 basis point reduction resulting from introduction of new generic drugs. Prescription counts decreased by 0.4%. Total sales during the four-week period were about $1.92 billion, a 1.6% increase over July 2010.