Store Systems

Dallas -- 7-Eleven said it has completed the transaction with ExxonMobil to acquire retail interests in 51 North Texas sites. The transaction concluded Jan. 20, and terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The majority of locations will be rebranded as 7-Eleven stores.

"This acquisition fits well with our aggressive growth strategy," said Robbie Radant, 7-Eleven's new VP of mergers and acquisitions. "We met our goal of opening 650 stores in 2011, and with this acquisition 2012 is off to a great start."

Matt Kistler is in a relatively new role at Walmart as SVP of merchandise execution and to explain what that means he is on the agenda for an upcoming event presented by Doing Business in Bentonville.

Kistler is scheduled to speak on February 8 at the DBB event which runs from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and will be held at the John Q. Hammons Center. He is expected to provide an overview of Walmart’s merchandise services unit that was created last year.

Beaumont, Texas -- Conn’s announced that it plans to close five underperforming stores during January 2012.

“The closing of the five stores this month is a continuation of our previously communicated plan to evaluate our existing store base and close or relocate underperforming stores. Additionally, we are progressing on our plans to open five to seven new stores in fiscal 2013, in areas with compelling demographic characteristics that we believe are favorable to our business model,” commented Theodore Wright, the company’s CEO.

Deerfield, Ill. — Walgreens has transformed 68 locations in the Indianpolis market into health and daily living destinations.

The drug store chain hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday at a store located on 16th and Meridian in Indianapolis. On hand at the ceremony were Walgreens president and CEO Greg Wasson, former Indianpolis Colts coach Tony Dungy and Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind.

The stores are part of Walgreens' pilot program that launched last year in Chicago.

New York City -- Ahold USA, the U.S. division of Amsterdam-based Ahold, has selected the NCR Advanced Marketing Solution from NCR Corp. to manage offers and promotions to customers. The solution is designed to allow retailers to streamline the management of multichannel promotion delivery by eliminating systems and business processes, while also reducing operations and IT support requirements.

PLANO, Texas — Another former Apple executive has joined the ranks at JCPenney. The company announced Wednesday that Kristen Blum, a former director of supply chain and International retail for Apple Inc., has been named EVP and chief technology officer, effective Jan. 23. 

Blum reports to COO Mike Kramer, and has responsibility for the  company's JCP.com business and information technology systems.

New York City -- Retailers need to respond to technology-savvy consumers by creating digitally rich, easy-to-use, technology-based experiences in the store to expand basket size and increase margins, according to the results of a new survey by Cisco. The survey also found that cross-channel shopping behavior is prevalent and desired by most consumers, with nearly 74% of all respondents conducting online research before making in-store purchasing decisions.

Plano, Texas -- J. C. Penney Co. has tapped another former Apple executive to join its executive ranks. J. C. Penney announced that Kristen E. Blum has been named executive VP and chief technology officer, effective Jan. 23. She reports to COO Mike Kramer, and has responsibility for the company's jcp.com business and information technology systems.