Bed Bath & Beyond's Outstanding Q4

Bed Bath & Beyond had an outstanding earnings report for the fourth quarter.  For the fiscal year ended February 26, 2011, the Company reported net earnings of $791.3 million, an increase of approximately 33% over net earnings of $600.0 million a year ago. Net sales for fiscal 2010 were approximately $8.759 billion, an increase of approximately 11.9% from net sales of approximately $7.829 billion in the prior fiscal year. Comparable store sales for fiscal 2010 increased by approximately 7.8%, compared with an increase of approximately 4.4% last year.

Seeking Alpha

Marsh Supermarkets to Keep Name

Marsh Supermarkets announced that it is converting six of its eight locations in Muncie to MainStreet Markets. The move, according to Marsh Community Relations Director Connie Gardner, will not affect any of the five locations in Madison County. According to a published statement from Marsh headquarters, the name change is based on the need to "position" smaller Marsh stores with offerings and services consistent with consumer preferences within their communities.

Herald Bulletin

Rite-Aid to Debut Wellness Store

Camp Hill-based Rite Aid Corp., among the region's largest pharmacy retailers, is rolling out a new wellness store format, with the new six-store pilot project including two store conversions in the Pittsburgh area. The company seeks to expand upon its traditional pharmacy role to offer broader clinical pharmacy services, along with hundreds of new products for health and wellness. The new store's pharmacists will offer broader services in helping customers manage their varying medications, with special added training for helping customers manage diabetes.

Pittsburg Business Times

Kroger Expands Fuel Rewards Program

Kroger is expanding its fuel rewards program at a time when gas prices in the Nashville area are still north of $3.50 per gallon. The grocery store chain is allowing customers to accumulate discounts of up to $1 per gallon at Middle Tennessee Kroger Fuel Centers and participating Shell station locations - up from a previous limit of 10 cents. A percentage of customers' total monthly purchase inside the grocery stores is discounted from the per-gallon cost at the pump. 

The Tennessean

Cabela's Expands in Canada

After the Winnipeg, Manitoba store and the upcoming Edmonton, Alberta store, Cabela's Inc. announced the opening of its third store in Saskatoon, Canada.  The company is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and plans to open stores in Allen, Texas and Springfield, Oregon. The new store model of standard sizes requires less capital investment, enhances store productivity and helps to increase sales per square foot.

Zacks

Adeo Reports Strong FY Growth

The Adeo DIY chain has reported a strong rise in sales and profits for its last fiscal year, helped by a good performance both in France and international markets. Group EBIT was up 12% to €874m, while sales rose by 14.1% to €12.5bn, and like-for-like sales grew by 6.1%. The group's Leroy Merlin unit in France saw sales grow by 4.4%, but this was outpaced by growth at Leroy Merlin in Ukraine and Brazil, and at Bricoman in Italy. Adeo operated 487 outlets at the end of 2010.

Kam City

Midcounties Co-operative Announces Record Profits

The Midcounties Co-operative has defied tough economic conditions with a 35% increase in trading profit to a record £26m. Its food stores, travel branches, pharmacies, funeral homes, childcare nurseries and employee benefits businesses all helped to ring up a 3.4% increase in total gross sales. Food (30%) and Pharmacy (23%) showed the largest growth in profits. The Co-op society also expanded outside its core area by growing its network of nurseries and this summer it will launch its new nationwide Co-operative Energy business supplying electricity and gas to the public.

Kam City

Lidl to Splash €60m on 141 Developments

German discount retailer Lidl looks set to become the largest property developer in Ireland with 141 projects in the pipeline and all but 26 of these are in the Republic. The projects would involve a construction investment of more than €60.4m should all of the projects be completed. The total investment would be much more when site acquisition costs are included. Eleven of the projects would cost more than €750,000 each to complete and the largest of these is Lidl's new HQ and medical centre, which it plans for the site next to its Tallaght store in Dublin 24 and which will cost €34.1m.

Independent. IE

JB Hi Fi to Open Concept Stores

Its goodbye games and hello TVs as JB pulls a new trick out of the retail hat. The first store of its kind will be unveiled, starting with Sydney's new Westfield centre and will feature TVs, computers but devoid of games or DVDs. The concept outlets could also be unleashed nationally. However, this new style of retailing won't roll on to its mainstream stores although they may show the way to how stores will be structured in the future, CEO Terry Smart said.  This new concept will be a completely devoted to home entertainment and will stock brands like Sony, Apple and Hewlett Packard.

Smart House

 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