News

Purchase, N.Y. -- Most retail segments showed solid year-over-year retail growth in March, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, a macroeconomic report tracking national retail and services sales.

Electronics sales and department stores showed modest gains while luxury and e-commerce recorded strong growth. Some segments of the restaurant sector also showed strength in March.

HOUSTON -- Cardtronics, the world's largest retail ATM owner, announced that Lucia Romanello Crater has joined Cardtronics as the company's new VP U.S. merchant sales. 

Chicago -- Convenience store in-store sales grew 4.4% in 2010, reaching a record $190.4 billion, according to NACS. Total convenience store sales in 2010 were $575.6 billion.

The industry's 2010 numbers were announced in Chicago at the annual NACS State of the Industry Summit. The number of U.S. c-stores grew 1.2% over the past year and stands at a record 146,341 stores, according to the NACS/Nielsen TDLinx 2011 Convenience Industry Store Count, released in January 2011.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market announced that it has relaunched its Design-A-Bag contest, inviting Fresh & Easy customers to design and vote on the grocer's next reusable bag. Customers can submit their original bag designs at www.freshandeasy.com/designabag through May 15. Based on feedback Fresh & Easy has expanded the contest this year to anyone 13 years of age or older in Arizona, California and Nevada.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Walmart announced that, through the Walmart Foundation, it has donated $319 million in cash and $480 million in in-kind contributions around the globe during the fiscal year ending Jan. 31. According to Walmart, the company's U.S. giving grew by 64%, largely due to donations of produce, meats, poultry and other nutritious food to local food banks from Walmart stores, Sam's Club locations and distribution centers.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Tuesday voted to repeal a law that posed a burdensome tax reporting requirement for businesses.

In an 87-12 decision, the legislative body passed H.R. 4, the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act, sponsored by Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif. The bill repeals a provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 that required businesses to file a Form 1099 with the Internal Revenue Service whenever they made noncredit-card payments totaling $600 or more to a vendor during a single year.

Irvine, Calif. -- Private-equity firm Apax Partners will acquire California-based ERP software range developer, Epicor Software and Activant Solutions, a provider of business management software solutions. Apax will pay a total of $2 billion for the acquisitions and combine the two companies.

CHICAGO ─ Faced with rising food costs, U.S. consumers are turning to the cost savings tactics they’ve mastered over the past few years, according to The NPD Group.