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In the second installment of a case study series, CSA online continued to offer an insider’s look at the conception and initial rollout of the southern Calif.-based fast-casual concept PizzaRev. Likened to “the Chipotle of pizza,” this innovative chain lets customers choose from an artisanal array of toppings to craft their own pizzas. A test kitchen in Northridge, Calif., was launched in April 2012 and three additional locations soon followed.

In the first installment of its new Case Study series, CSA Online offered an insider’s look at the conception and initial rollout of the southern Calif.-based fast-casual concept PizzaRev. Likened to “the Chipotle of pizza,” this innovative chain lets customers choose from an artisanal array of toppings to craft their own pizzas. Using a 900-degree, stone-hearth oven, pizzas are ready in about three minutes, all at a cost of less than $8 per pie.

Southern California’s PizzaRev aims to do for pizza what Chipotle has done for burritos. The young chain got its start in April 2012 with a “test kitchen” in Northridge, Calif., and, amid stellar Yelp! reviews and robust sales, is already on the verge of opening its third location, with more units planned for 2013.

Minneapolis -- A Thursday report by Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources, said that Best Buy Co. has rekindled its talks with co-founder Richard Schulze about an agreement that would allow Schulze to launch due-diligence efforts toward his proposed acquisition of the company.

Best Buy reportedly reached out to Schulze shortly after announcing quarterly earnings on Aug. 21 that missed Wall Street estimates, according to one of the unidentified sources, who also said that both parties could reach an agreement later this week.

New York City -- A report by Reuters on Tuesday revealed widespread Wall Street speculation that Sears Holdings Corp. may go private.

"There is a rumor that Bruce Berkowitz of Fairholme and Eddie Lampert could take Sears private," Jon Najarian, a co-founder of TradeMonster.com in Chicago, told Reuters.
 
Sears has not commented on the rumors, which come days after CIT Group halted loans that Sears' suppliers use to finance the goods they sell to the Sears and Kmart chains.

Chicago -- A report released Tuesday by retail foot traffic counter ShopperTrak identified the 10 holiday shopping days that will make or break the period for retailers.

“Since Christmas falls on different calendar days each year, the shift impacts which days are the busiest,” said ShopperTrak co-founder Bill Martin. “Some change in ranking or drop off completely.”

Nashville, Tenn. -- The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) honored IHL president and Retail Orphan Initiative (RetailROI) co-founder Greg Buzek with the first annual Paul Singer Award at the 13th Annual Angels in Adoption Congressional gala. RetailROI is a charitable foundation that was established to help the 400 million orphaned and vulnerable children worldwide.

The award was presented in a ceremony on Oct. 5, in Washington, D.C.

Chicago -- Retail sales will rise 3% percent during November and December compared to the year-ago period, but foot traffic will decrease 2.2%, according to ShopperTrak.

ShopperTrak's holiday sales increase prediction follows 19 consecutive months of year-over-year U.S. retail sales growth. The expected increase is moderate compared with the 2010 holiday season's 4.1% sales increase over 2009.

Columbus, Ohio -- Denny Gerdeman, principal and co-founder of Chute Gerdeman, a full-service retail branding and design firm, has been named the 2011 Markopoulos Award winner.

The prestigious honor, named after the late visual merchandising legend Andrew Markopoulos, is presented annually by DDI Magazine to one outstanding industry professional. In winning the award, Gerdeman is recognized for his distinguished career as well as his efforts to give back to the profession.