Forzani Group Q4 Profit Rises, Sees Lower Q1 Same-Store Sales

Forzani Group Ltd posted a higher fourth-quarter profit, as cold weather boosted sales of winter products, but the Canadian retailer said same-store sales are down so far this quarter. Overall retail system same-store sales fell 2 percent for the first eight weeks of fiscal 2012. Same-store sales had jumped over 14 percent last year. Net income for the fourth quarter rose to C$24.2 million from C$22.9 million last year. Total revenue for the quarter jumped 10 percent to C$410.9. 

Reuters

Self-Checkout is Only Option at Fresh & Easy in Bay Area

One of the first things you will notice about the new Fresh & Easy grocery stores popping up in the Bay Area is that you better be willing to work as well as shop. Not only will you be bagging your own groceries, you will also have to ring up your own sales. In a clear demarcation from other grocery stores, the chain offers only self-serve checkouts. You need to find and scan bar codes, find and manually enter numerical codes for vegetables, properly bag your groceries and execute the payment method to conclude your sale.

Inside Bay Area

Dierbergs Partners with Big Bowl

Big Bowl Chinese Express, a quick-service concept modeled after the Big Bowl casual restaurants in Chicago, Minneapolis and the Washington, D.C., area, is opening in Creve Coeur, Mo., inside the West Oak Dierbergs. It is the first of several Big Bowl Chinese Express locations to open inside Dierbergs stores as part of an exclusive partnership in St. Louis with the family-owned grocery chain. Additional Big Bowl Chinese Express locations are slated to open in other Dierbergs markets later this year.

Progressive Grocer

Milwaukee's Largest Asian Grocery Store

Pacific Produce, at 5455 S. 27th St. in Greenfield, is a warehouse-like, one-stop Asian supermarket. Shoppers can fill their carts with items from China, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines, to name some of the countries whose products are represented. And whether you're searching for foods that remind you of home or just looking for ingredients to stir-fry, you're likely to discover something intriguing here. There are fresh quail eggs next to the pea shoots and greens. Dried lotus leaves are on a shelf above the bags of rice. And somewhere around here you'll see packets of instant jellyfish.

JS Online

Dorothy Lane Introduces Local Food Club

Dorothy Lane Market has launched Honestly Local, a membership-based local food club. Shoppers who prepay for an eight- or 16-week membership will receive weekly boxes containing local food and beverages. Prices range from $4 per week for bakery items like artisan bread, to $14 for wine and beer and $25 for a large box of produce. Ed Hill chicken and other meats, dairy and floral are also available. Boxes will be available at all three Dorothy Lane locations each Thursday from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. in two, eight-week periods: June 9-July 28 and Aug. 4-Sept. 22. 

Supermarket News

Brazil's Lojas Renner to Buy Camicado for $102.5M

Brazilian retailer Lojas Renner SA announced that it agreed to buy local rival Maxmix Comercial Ltda, which operates under the brand name Camicado, for at around 165 million Brazilian reais ($102.5 million). Camicado operates through 27 stores distributed in the states of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Parana, Federal District, Goias and Minas Gerais states. "The transaction represents another important step in consolidating the Company's business in the retail industry in Brazil and is aligned with its strategy of growth and value creation for its shareholders," Lojas Renner said in a statement. 

WSJ Online

Beale Buys 19 More Stores

Department store group Beale will more than double the number of stores under its ownership after acquiring 19 further sites from a co-operative society for a total consideration of £7.5m. JE Beale, the principal trading subsidiary of Beale, will takeover 19 of the 23 department stores currently owned by Anglia Regional Co-operative Society. This will bring its total number to 32, adding around 450,000 square feet of trading space.

Gatekeeper Systems

Metcash Plans to Close Down 56 Stores

Metcash Trading Africa plans to close down 56 stores - including Metro Cash & Carry and Trade Centres - as part of its restructuring and rationalization strategy, but could not say how many people would lose their jobs. Notification of the rationalization and restructuring plans comes after an announcement the company made last month of the sale of its franchise division to the Shoprite group. Subject to the approval of the competition authorities, the agreement would see Metcash's retail stores, which include brands such as Friendly, 7-Eleven and Price Club discount supermarket, being assimilated into the OK franchise division of the Shoprite group. 

Business Day

 Shop Theft After All-Day Booze-Up

 
A father failed to pay for his trolley full of groceries even though he had plenty of cash on him. Gary Lane had been on an all-day cider session before embarking on the supermarket sweep at Asda in East Street, Bedminster. Bristol magistrates heard he loaded up the cart with £89 worth of goods and wheeled off past the tills, before being stopped and found with £160 in cash. Laura Opie, prosecuting, said when Lane left the shop he had appeared to be steering towards a cash point machine but carried on going. When he was approached by security staff he pushed the trolley away and said it was not his. The court heard he then had to be taken to the ground and police were called in. Lane told them he had been drinking strong cider in a pub from 9.30am. He said that he then went for his weekly shop but realized he had left his crutch by a photo booth and went to collect it, and was grabbed.

This Is Bristol