Supply Chain & Merchandising

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Ross Stores will celebrate on July 16 the opening of its 1,000th Dress for Less store in North Pleasant Hill, Calif. 

Ross Stores' announcement of its 1,000th Dress for Less store follows strong monthly and quarterly sales and earnings, as the company continues to thrive in the down economy.

New York City -- What topics interested retailers most in the first half of 2011? The most popular stories with chainstoreage.com readers from January through June ran the gamut, from the top 10 retail markets for 2011 to Dollar General’s ambitious expansion. Take a look at our top 10 most popular stories: 
 
1. Top 10 retail markets for 2011

PARAMUS, N.J. — Smart Balance announced that its board of directors has appointed Dean Hollis and Thomas McInerney as independent directors, expanding its members from eight to 10.  

Currently, Hollis is a senior advisor for Oaktree Capital Management, an $85 billion investment firm.  In addition, he oversees several privately held investments and serves on several boards, including Advance Pierre Foods, Landec Corporation, Earth Analytics Group, and Adams Land and Cattle Company.  

NEW YORK — Rising gas prices has consumers cutting down on grocery shopping and many turning to the discount stores over traditional food retailers, according to the latest research from TNS.

The higher cost of gas is good news for discount stores, as 32% of those surveyed are choosing to shop there over traditional retail outlets. However, when they shop, they are buying less.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Regency Centers said Tuesday it has closed on the acquisition of Calhoun Commons, a 66,150-sq.-ft. neighborhood shopping center located in Minneapolis and anchored by Whole Foods Market.

The property was purchased in an off-market transaction on July 1 for $21 million from Calhoun Commons Shopping Center Limited Partnership, a subsidiary of Doran Cos. and the original developer of the property.

Lone Tree, Col. -- Westwood Financial Corp. has sold the 34,749-sq.-ft. Heritage Hills Shopping Center in Lone Tree, Colo., as part of its efforts to strengthen its strategic investment in new Southeastern U.S. markets. The retail property, located at 9227-9231 Lincoln Ave., was in Westwood Financial’s portfolio for 11 years and sold to Carlisle Properties for $11.4 million.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens’ stock was trading up 30 cents to $43.03 on the New York Stock Exchange mid-morning on Wednesday thanks to favorable same-store sales growth of 4.8% for the month of June versus an analyst consensus estimate of 2.8%.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens said Wednesday that its sales were up 6.8% in June, as more customers came to its stores and spent more money per trip. Same-store sales rose 4.8%.  Revenue increased to $6.04 billion from $5.65 billion.

Pharmacy revenue rose 6.2% and front-end sales were up 6.4%. The chain said monthly customer traffic rose 1.3% compared to June 2010, and customers spent 3.4% more per trip.