Supply Chain & Merchandising

Phoenix -- PetSmart said Friday it has appointed current CEO Robert Moran to also serve as the company’s chairman of the board. Moran, 61, has been president and CEO since 2009, and served as president and COO from 2001 to 2009.

The board of directors also appointed David K. Lenhardt as the company’s new president and COO. Lenhardt, 42, has been with PetSmart since 2000, most recently as executive VP, over store operations, human resources and information systems.

CHICAGO — Galleria Retail Technology Solutions, a provider of retail and category optimization solutions, has announced that grocer A&P has chosen Galleria to help optimize its merchandising strategy and improve the customer experience within its more than 300 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic stores.

A&P will roll out several of Galleria’s solutions throughout its family of supermarkets.

Family Dollar reported quarterly results after the market closed Thursday and offered a reminder why Walmart suppliers who participated in last month’s Connecting Northwest Arkansas Supplier Survey ranked dollar stores as the greatest competitive threat to Walmart in the next five years.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp.’s plan to open 125-135 stores in Canada is rapidly taking shape, as the retailer has released the locations of its first 24 stores in the country.

As previously announced, Target purchased the leasehold interests of 189 sites currently operated by Zellers Inc.

The majority of Target’s initial two dozen stores will open in early 2013, and include four locations in Toronto (Centrepoint Mall, Cloverdale Mall, Shoppers World Danforth and East York Town Centre).

Beachwood, Ohio -- DDR Corp. announced Friday new Five Below stores in consolidated small shop and downsized junior anchor locations at five Atlanta-area shopping centers.

DDR said the new locations represent the continuation of efforts to strategically reduce small-shop space as well as rightsize junior anchors and re-lease the residual space at attractive market rents. At the locations where Five Below will be occupying downsized space, DDR will realize rental increases of nearly 50%.

Fort Worth, Texas -- Pier 1 Imports Inc. said Thursday its same-store sales climbed 11.3% in December, driven by a greater number of shoppers who spent more on each visit. The gain topped the 10.3% rise in the same month a year ago.

The chain said sales remained strong throughout the month, including the week after Christmas, in every region.

Denver -- CenturyLink announced it has turned up a new high-speed data and voice network for True Religion. The premium denim jeans company's headquarters l in Vernon, Calif., is now securely interconnected with its 110 domestic retail stores and international retail stores or showrooms in Canada, England, Italy and Hong Kong.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway on Thursday announced the sale of 16 of its Genuardi's stores in the greater Philadelphia area to Giant Food Stores, a division of Ahold USA. Safeway will continue to operate these stores until the transaction closes, and the company is working through an orderly transition for all of these stores.

In addition, Safeway plans to close three Genuardi's stores and sell the remaining eight Genuardi's stores, which it will continue to operate while it is working with potential buyers.