Content about North America

Tokyo -- A Sunday report by Bloomberg said that 7-Eleven parent Seven & I Holdings Co. is planning more acquisitions here and may more than double the number of c-store stores it operates in North America.

The company “could increase our store number to 20,000 or even 30,000 [in North America],” chairman Toshifumi Suzuki told Bloomberg in an interview.  7-Eleven currently has more than 8,000 convenience stores in North America.

No time-frame for the planned expansion has been defined.

New York – Anthony Ludru has been named senior VP of North America by Tiffany & Co.

Ledru, 40, has luxury industry experience including with Cartier in Latin America and the U.S., as well as serving as global VP of sales with Harry Winston International.

“As a member of the senior management team, Anthony will drive sales results in our largest region, composed of the United States and Canada, while contributing a key voice to the articulation of the global brand.,” said Tiffany executive VP Frederic Cumenal.

San Diego, Calif. -- Parametric Sound Corp. announced that Build-A-Bear Workshop  will include the company's directed-sound product, HyperSound, in an additional 20-25 newly designed stores that it plans to open across North America this year. The stores have received rave reviews since the retailer unveiled its new interactive design in six locations in the fall of 2012.

HyperSound immerses listeners in a robust 3D audio experience from just two speakers

Pittsburgh -- American Eagle Outfitters said Wednesday it has named Kitty Yung to the position of EVP/president of Asia Pacific, charged with supporting the chain’s global geographic and channel growth “while aligning with our strategic plan of fortifying core assets, growing North America and transforming to a global omni-channel competitor …,” said Robert Hanson, CEO.

Dedham, Mass. -- iParty Corp., a leading party goods retailer with a strong presence in New England, has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Party City Holdings Inc., North America’s largest party supply retailer.

Dublin, Ohio -- Wendy’s is getting a makeover. On Feb. 25, the company will unveil its new, more contemporary-looking logo in advertising, on product packaging, crew uniforms, new restaurant signage, menuboards and digital assets.  

Ashburn, Va. -- Miller and Smith, along with JV partner North America Sekisui House, said Tuesday that The Fresh Market will open a new store at One Loudoun, in Loudoun County, Va.

The 23,000-sq.-ft. specialty grocer will break ground in January 2013 and is slated to open fall 2013.  

New Hudson, Mich. -- Icom North America announced Thursday an installation program for 140 propane autogas Ford F150 pickup trucks for use by Menards home improvement stores.
 
The vehicles will serve 36 Menards locations throughout Illinois and at Menards' Eau Claire West store in Wisconsin.

Icom North America has teamed with Menards on a project to up-fit its JTG II Liquid Injection Propane System on Menards fleet of Ford F150 pickups equipped with a 3.7-liter engine.

New York -- With retail books closed prior to Hurricane Sandy’s arrival in the Northeast, most retailers experienced same-store sales gains for the month of October, some with stronger showings than others.

The 17 retail chains tracked by Thomson Reuters are predicted to report 4.3% growth in October same-store sales, up slightly over the 4.1% advance reported in the year-ago period and a significant gain over September’s 0.8% rise.

New York -- Apparel retailers and department stores reported monthly revenue results for September that were mixed, as Gap Inc. and Limited Brands posted gains that beat Wall Street estimates, while Macy's and Kohl’s missed expectations.

However, many analysts said spending was fairly strong for the month.

E-cards may be popular, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a market for greeting cards. Just ask Dominique Schurman, CEO of Schurman Retail Group. The privately held, Fairfield, Calif.-based company owns and operates some 400 stores in North America, including the fast-growing Papyrus brand.

New York -- Self-checkout technology continues to rise in importance at retailers in North America, according to a new study  by IHL Group.
 
The 2012 North American Kiosk Study finds that self-checkout shipments are increasing 8% year to year, with self-checkout transactions exceeding $255 billion annually in North America. Kooking Transactions are growing better than 7% per year in North America, and expected to grow past $1.0 trillion by 2014.