Distribution

Growth in sales and membership income at Costco helped the company produce earnings per share of 95 cents and beat analysts’ estimates by two cents.

Cargo volumes at U.S. ports are forecast to increase 3.9% in December following a 5.6% decline in November, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report compiled by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

The West coast strike by workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach negatively affected container volumes in November, but resolution of the strike after eight days meant disruption in December was limited to just two days.

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Office Depot is making online shopping more convenient to holiday shoppers racing against the clock while trying to avoid steep shipping and handling fees.

Washington -- Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 3.9% in December despite a strike that closed the nation’s largest port complex for the first few days of the month, but retailers are keeping a close watch on a possible strike on the East Coast and Gulf Coast, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Laval, Quebec City -- Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. announced that it has signed, through its wholly owned indirect subsidiary, Mac's Convenience Stores LLC, an agreement to acquire 29 stores, 25 stores are located in Illinois, three in Missouri and one in Oklahoma. The transaction is anticipated to close in December 2012.

All the stores would eventually be rebranded under the Circle K brand. Couche-Tard’s Midwest division would operate 28 of them and the other one would be operated by the Southwest division.

India -- The Indian government on Friday won a non-binding vote in the upper house of parliament on its new policy to allow foreign supermarkets to enter the country's vast retail market, which is put at approximately $450 billion.

The government had already won a vote on retail reform in the lower house two days earlier.

Williamsville, N.Y. -- Tops Friendly Markets, a full-service grocery retailer in upstate New York, northern Pennsylvania and western Vermont, today announced that the company has entered into an agreement with the Farrugia family to acquire three Big M supermarkets located in Elbridge, N.Y., Mexico, N.Y., and Jordan, N.Y.

This marks the third acquisition deal this year for Tops and will expand Tops' footprint further into areas of northern and central New York State.

New York -- CVS Caremark is reportedly looking to expand outside of the United States by acquiring Onofre, the eighth-largest pharmacy chain in Brazil, according to published reports.

The Valor Economico newspaper reported that CVS Caremark plans to pay $313 million to acquire an 80% stake in Onofre and will also assume the company's debt.

“We don’t comment on market rumors,” CVS Caremark spokesman Mike DeAngelis told Drug Store News.