Distribution

QUINCY, Mass. -- The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company announced the special dedication of a 400 kilowatt fuel cell at its Torringford Street store in East Torrington, Conn. 

According to the company, the fuel cell, a UTC Power PureCell System Model 400, was supported with a grant from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund's On-Site Renewable Distributed Generation Program and is the first fuel cell utilized by the Stop & Shop Supermarket Company. It is expected to generate over 90% of the store's electric energy.

Chapel Hill, N.C. -- Performance Bicycle, the nation’s largest specialty bike retailer, announced that in April it will open six new stores in four states nationwide.

The expansion includes stores in Sacramento and Berkeley, Calif.; Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin, Texas; Atlanta, and the company’s first ever store in Idaho, in Boise.

These six locations join Performance Bicycle’s 94 existing stores.

Indianapolis -- Appliance and electronics retailer Hhgregg reported Tuesday that net income for the quarter ended Dec. 31 rose 18.4% to $26.9 million, compared with $22.7 million in the year-ago period.

Net sales increased 30.6% to $653.7 million. Same-stores dropped 6.2%.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Net sales for Spartan Stores slightly declined nearly 0.6% to $782.3 million during the third quarter.

During the quarter, which ended Jan. 1, Spartan also experienced a rise in operating earnings, which increased from $13.7 million in third quarter 2009 to $16.6 million. Third-quarter earnings from continuing operations improved 42% percent to $7.5 million, or 33 cents per diluted share, from $5.3 million, or 23 cents per diluted share.

New York City -- Safeway will combat an aggressive crop of new rivals with an expansion that includes nine stores in the West, of which six will be in the San Francisco Bay area, according to the Oakland Tribune.

The chain plans to open stores in Pleasanton, Castro Valley, El Cerrito, Campbell, Los Gatos and Burlingame. It also is working to obtain city approvals for stores in Pleasant Hill, Emeryville and Berkeley, the report said, and is eyeing a new store in the Oakland hills.

Feeling confident that the worst is behind them, most retailers are ready to expand again as they turn their attention from steadying the ship to actively growing their business. That’s the big takeaway from Retail Horizons: Benchmarks for 2010, Forecasts for 2011 report. The annual study, sponsored by KPMG and the National Retail Federation Foundation, is widely acknowledged as the definitive state of the industry report.

Brentwood, Tenn. -- Tractor Supply Co. reported that net sales for the fourth quarter increased 19.7% to $1.03 billion from $862.5 million in the prior year's fourth quarter. Same-store sales increased 13.1%, compared with a 0.7% increase in the prior-year period. 

Net income for the quarter was $50.2 million, or 67 cents per diluted share, compared with $37.3 million, or 51 cents per diluted share, in the prior year's fourth quarter.