Distribution

Latham, N.Y. -- Plug Power announced that it will supply 161 GenDrive fuel cells to Kroger’s food distribution center in Compton, Calif. Kroger will use the renewable energy source to power its fleet of electric lift trucks. Because GenDrive is fueled with hydrogen, the only byproducts created through the electrochemical energy-conversion process are heat and water.

NORTHFIELD, Ill. — Kraft Foods announced that Daniel Myers will join the company in September as EVP supply chain.  Myers will lead the functional groups that make up the company's integrated supply chain, including procurement, manufacturing, engineering and customer service and logistics.  He succeeds David Brearton, who is now EVP and CFO.  Myers will report to chairman and CEO Irene Rosenfeld and be a member of the company's executive team.

Plymouth Meeting, Pa. -- Fameco Real Estate, L.P. announced that Visionworks, a division of Eye Care Centers of America, has signed four new leases in the Central Pennsylvania region as part of its store roll-out campaign.

Each of the new stores is slated to open in late summer 2011. The stores will be located at The Viewmont Mall in Dickson City, Silver Spring Shopping Center in West Harrisburg, Mill Creek Shopping Center in Lancaster and Delco Plaza in York.
 

Family Dollar disappointed its investors this week with a third-quarter earning report in which gross margin pressures caused the company to report earnings per share of 91 cents that were four cents shy of analysts’ consensus estimates. The operator of 6,900 stores also said its 4.7% same-store sales increase was short of guidance of 5% to 7% and then used the occasion to lower fourth-quarter sales and earnings forecasts.

Warrendale, Pa. -- Rue21 said Thursday it has opened its 700th store, located in New Braunfels, Texas.

The store is Rue21's 80th in the state. Year-to-date, the retailer has opened 63 stores and said it is on target to open 110 new stores and convert 35 existing stores to its larger etc! format in fiscal 2011.

Long-term growth strategy includes opening in strip centers, regional malls and outlet centers, and the New Braunfels location is Rue21's 360th strip center location.

San Francisco -- Gap announced Wednesday that it will open its first Gap store in Egypt this July, and its first Gap and Banana Republic stores in Morocco in October.

The move is part of the retailer’s global expansion strategy that calls for doubling its franchise stores to 400 by fiscal year 2014.

Gap started shipping to Egypt, Morocco and South Africa in 2010, but these stores are the first on the continent.

SAN FRANCISCO — Gap Inc. announced that it plans to open its first Gap store in Egypt this July and its first Gap and Banana Republic stores in Morocco this October. These store openings will mark the company’s first entry into Africa.

As part of an existing franchise agreement with The Fawaz Al Hokair Group, Gap will open its first Egyptian store in the Mall of Arabia in the capital city of Cairo. Two additional Gap stores will open at Cairo’s City Stars Mall and Sun City Mall this October.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Supervalu announced that plans to transition 40 stores to zero waste operations by the end of its current fiscal year ending Feb. 29, 2012.