Personnel Updates:
Englefield Oil Co. announced that VP of Operations Ed Stephens is retiring from the company.
Fresh Encounter has promoted Mike Needler Jr. to President and COO and also named Eric Anderson Exec VP and Chief Marketing Officer, Mark Gephart, Senior VP and General Manager, and Julie Anderson Secretary/Treasurer.
The Kroger Co. announced Marnette Perry has been named Senior VP, Strategic Initiatives and Operations, and Michael Ellis has been named Senior VP Retail Divisions.
RaceTrac Petroleum Inc. announced its leadership transition to a shared structure with Allison Moran as CEO and Carl Bolch Jr. retaining his role as chairman of the board, effective Dec. 31, 2012.
Raley’s Supermarkets said Kevin Konkel has been named Senior VP Operations, effective 01/01/2013.
Save Mart Supermarkets said it has named James Orr Senior VP Supply chain and Chief Supply Chain Officer – a new position.
Sheetz Inc. has announced that Joe S. Sheetz, Exec VP of Finance and Store Development, will advance into the position of President and CEO at the conclusion of its current fiscal year. Current president and CEO, Stan Sheetz, will move into the role of Chairman, while Steve Sheetz, will leave his chairman seat to fill a newly created position of family council chairman.
SUPERVALU appointed Janel Haugarth President of Independent Business and Business Optimization
Valero Energy Corp. announced that Joe Gorder, Exec VP and COO, has been named President and COO by the company’s board of directors, effective Jan. 1, 2013
Weis Markets said Shirl Stroeing has joined the company as VP and CIO.
The Kroger Co. announced that Marnette Perry has been named Senior VP, Strategic Initiatives and Operations, and Michael Ellis has been named Senior VP, Retail Divisions.

Financial Focus:
Harris Teeter Supermarkets said sales for the full fiscal year were $4.535 billion.
Wakefern Food Corp. said retail sales for the recently ended fiscal year were up 6.4%, to $13.6 billion.
Whole Foods reported fiscal 2012 sales of $11.7 billion.

Mergers and Acquisitions:
7-Eleven Inc. has completed the purchase of 12 stores from Fast Track Inc. in Central North Carolina, including Winston-Salem. The seller is J. C. Faw of Wilkesboro, N.C. Terms of the agreement are not disclosed. The Fast Track stores that are part of the purchase are located in Elkin, King, Lexington, Thomasville, Kernersville, Lewisville, Clemmons, Winston-Salem, Hamptonville, Claremont, Statesville and Union Grove.
Energy USA Inc. has been acquired by 7-Eleven Inc., the Dallas-based retailer has announced. 7-Eleven said that it has closed deals with both EZ Energy USA and Handee Marts Inc. The EZ Energy purchase includes 67 Easy Trip and BP convenience stores in the Cleveland and Pittsburgh markets and the wholesale fuel-supply business that supports 20 of EZ Energy’s dealer-operators.
Whole Foods Market has agreed to acquire six locations in the Boston area from Johnnie’s Foodmaster, based in Chelsea, Mass. Terms of the transaction, which is expected to close on Nov. 30 2012, were not disclosed. The stores are located in the Massachusetts towns of South Weymouth, Arlington, Charlestown, Brookline, Melrose and Somerville, and average 31,000 square feet. Foodmaster plans to close the stores before the transaction is completed.

Industry Insight:
Acosta Sales & Marketing said it is acquiring three Southwestern food broker companies: Lott Marketing, LaFond Food Brokers and Kirkpatrick Brokerage Co.
Earth Fare announced that a 26,000-square-foot Earth Fare store is opening in Noblesville, IN selling products including natural meat and fresh produce. The store, with a bakery and a cafe, is the 29th in the chain, and 70% of products are organic.
Giant Eagle will debut a new banner — Good Cents Grocery + More — at a discount store set to open next month in Pittsburgh, PA.
Tony’s Finer Foods plans to open a ninth location in space vacated by a Strack & Van Til store in Joliet, Ill. The Chicago-based full-service chain was founded in 1979 and varies items sold based on the community’s needs.
Houchens Industries is slowly rolling out a new cost-plus supermarket format known as Price Less Foods, a company spokesman confirmed.
Stop & Shop has acquired the lease of a Johnnie’s Foodmaster store in Medford, MA and it will convert the store to the Stop & Shop banner before the end of the year.

Real Estate:
Balducci’s is seeking new sites for possible growth opportunities throughout CT, MD, NJ, NY, PA and VA. The company also operates as a gourmet on the go, café concept, and is seeking sites of 2,500 sq. ft. in Manhattan, NY.
Grocery Outlet, which was founded in San Francisco in 1946 but has not operated in the city since 2001, said it plans to open two stores there next year while it also contemplates expanding on the East Coast.
A PriceRite store will open Sunday in Syracuse, N.Y., becoming the 10th PriceRite in the state. The Wakefern Food banner promises a “clean, fresh and friendly” experience, with prices about half of those at a traditional grocer.
Whole Foods is making a push into uptown Manhattan with plans to open two new locations in Harlem and the Upper East Side. The two new stores will mark the eighth and ninth Manhattan locations for Whole Foods, which also has stores in TriBeCa, Chelsea, Union Square and the Upper West Side. The Upper East Side store will open in early 2014, while the Harlem store will open in the summer of 2015, company officials stated.

 
Green Initiatives:
Kum & Go has announced plans to invest $90 million in building a total of 20-25 new stores in the Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak region of the Centennial State within the next five years.
Stop & Shop is opening an energy-efficient store in Wayland, Mass., that has won Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Features include a white roof with skylights and LED lights in the parking lot.