Fresh & Easy Continues Gradual Expansion

Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market chain is moving ahead with its gradual expansion across the US, saying it will open outlets in Northern California in March and April. Two outlets are scheduled to open on 2 March in San Jose and Danville, followed by nine other stores within two months in nearby areas.  Fresh & Easy also said it plans to open two stores in San Francisco early this year, without giving specific dates.

Kam City

Toys R Us Plans First Minnesota Superstore

Retailer Toys R Us will remodel its Minnetonka store into its first superstore in Minnesota.  Work at the store, at 14100 Wayzata Blvd., will begin later this year.  Toys R Us superstores combine the company's Toys R Us and Babies R Us concepts and generally run about 65,000 square feet in size, versus 45,000 square feet for a regular store.

Business Journal

Walgreens to Bring Fresh Food to "Food Deserts"

Walgreen Co. plans to add more fresh food to about 400 stores in areas where access to produce and other goods is scarce, as it tries to position itself as a one-stop shop for health and daily needs.  Adding a wider variety of food, beer and wine at the chain in general is also part of the company's strategy to become a more convenient option for shoppers, who have a variety of stores to choose from.

Reuters

Target Corporation to Acquire Interest in Canadian Real Estate from Zellers Inc., for C$1.825 Billion

Target Corporation announced that it has agreed to pay C$1.825 billion to purchase from  Zellers Inc., a subsidiary of the Hudson's Bay Company, the leasehold interests in up to 220 sites currently operated by Zellers Inc. This transaction will allow Target to open its first Target stores in Canada beginning in 2013.  Target expects to open 100 to 150 Target stores throughout Canada in 2013 and 2014.

Target

Ahold to Enter Belgium Market in March

Ahold is set to mark its entry into Belgium's retail market, with the opening of its first local outlet in March. The retailer did not say how many stores it eventually plans to open in the country, nor did it say how much it will spend on the move.  Ahold said it will open a store under its 'Albert Heijn' supermarket format in Brasschaat.

Kam City

Asda Agrees to Sell Netto Stores to Morrisons, Iceland and Haldanes

Asda has agreed to sell 47 of the stores it plans to buy from Netto to rivals Morrisons, Iceland and Haldanes in order to win regulatory clearance for the deal. Asda said it had lined up buyers for 39 stores, including all 25 of the shops for which it had to find up-front buyers as a condition of the Office of Fair Trading clearing the Netto deal. Eight stores remain unsold, although Asda confirmed it will be selling these in the coming months.

Kam City

Home Retail Group Sales Fall Not As Bad As Expected

Home Retail Group revealed that sales had fallen less than analysts expected at both its Argos and Homebase units in the run-up to Christmas, and forecast yearly profit in line with its own previous forecast.  Like-for-like sales fell 4.9% in the 18 weeks to 1 January, compared with 5.7% decline expected by City analysts and the 6.5% drop in its first half reported in October. Homebase like-for-like sales fell 1.2%, compared with an expected fall of 2.0% and 0.8% fall in its first half.

Kam City