Data & Analytics

Plano, Texas -- J. C. Penney Corp. has completed a new five-year $1.25 billion bank credit facility.

The new facility replaces a $750 million credit facility that was scheduled to mature in April 2012 and provides further strength to the company's liquidity position. The facility may be used for general corporate purposes and will mature in April 2016.
 

LOS ANGELES -- Ralphs announced that it is continuing its partnership begun last year with Shell to offer participating customers more rewards at the pump. According to the company, Southern Calif.-area customers will now earn double points on qualifying purchases at Ralphs when they buy fuel at participating Shell locations.    

Washington, D.C. -- Applied Predictive Technologies (APT) said that Guitar Center has renewed its license for APT's retail testing software.

APT’s Test & Learn Management Solution is being used to drive dozens of high-impact tests within Guitar Center’s organization. Using Test & Learn, Guitar Center plans to accurately understand the impact of new ideas and tailor them to maximize profits.

The most recent pricing survey from the equity research team at Credit Suisse shows that Target is either 3.1% more expensive or 1.9% less expensive than Walmart. The firm compared prices at stores in the Dallas and Chicago markets, as it does every month, and during March discovered the gap between the two competitors narrowed considerably.

“Target’s price gap with Walmart tightened from 4.2% in February to 3.1%,” according to the firm. “Target’s basket price decreased sequentially by 0.8% compared with Walmart’s 0.3% increase.”

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Strong earnings and sales growth in the first quarter helped drive up Publix's stock price.

Publix’s sales for the first quarter of 2011 were $6.8 billion, a 4.4% increase from last year’s $6.5 billion. Comparable-store sales for the first quarter of 2011 increased 2.8%.

Net earnings for the first quarter of 2011 were $398.2 million, compared with $364.4 million in 2010, an increase of 9.3%. Earnings per share for the first quarter increased to 51 cents for 2011, up from 47 cents per share in 2010.

North Plainfield, N.J. -- Levin Management Corp. announced it has promoted Harold Harris from VP to senior VP, effective immediately.

Harris joined Levin as controller in 1985 and was named CFO in 1990. Responsible for all aspects of finance and lease administration for the company’s management portfolio, Harris also oversees real estate tax and financing reviews, human resources, and risk management.
 

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Supervalu customers that cash in their coins at in-store Coinstar kiosks can do so for free when they select the Supervalu gift card option, Coinstar announced.

The no-fee option will be available in about 1,000 stores that operate under the Supervalu banner, including such chains as Acme, Albertsons, Jewel-Osco and more, by next month.

Supervalu and Coinstar began their collaboration on the gift card project last January in approximately 78 Albertsons stores located in Washington and Oregon.

Bernardino, Calif.  -- Three new Stater Bros. a that three supermarkets have earned the prestigious EPA GreenChill Gold Certification for meeting tough standards and using refrigerants that do not harm the earth's ozone layer.

Stater Bros. is the only Southern California grocer to have three stores that are certified at the Gold Level, which is the second highest award from GreenChill.

EPA's GreenChill Partnership works with supermarkets to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact on the ozone layer and climate change.