General Merchandise

WAKE FOREST, N.C. — Harris Teeter announced this week the grand opening of a new store in the Creedmoor Village Shopping Center here. The store will open on Aug. 28 with a pharmacy open seven days per week.

The company is celebrating the grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 8 a.m. as well as weekend activities to introduce community members to the "H.T. Difference."

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — During Thursday's second-quarter conference call, Walmart discussed the company's efforts to expand its e-commerce platform as it recently launched a locker test for site-to-store in Washington, D.C., area.

“While this test is still in the early stages, the initial read on customer satisfaction and acceptance is very encouraging, with 90% of the customers who have used the service providing positive feedback,” said Bill Simon, CEO of Walmart U.S.

GREENVILLE, S.C. and JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Bi-Lo and its subsidiary Winn-Dixie announced on Thursday the companies will freeze prices over a 10-week period on hundreds of products across categories throughout its stores, starting with many items aimed at back-to-school shoppers.

CHICAGO — Research by Mintel shared on Thursday reveals how parents across the country are trying to save on items for the back-to-school shopping season.

Some of the key trends Mintel found were:

WASHINGTON — July retail sales saw gains in many back-to-school categories like clothing and sporting goods, but surprising declines in home-based categories, including building materials and furniture stores. Still, according to the National Retail Federation, July retail sales (excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants) increased 0.3% seasonally adjusted from June and increased 5% unadjusted year-over-year.

DENVER — According to new results published by the Integer Group, 31% of survey respondents said they won't be shopping for any back-to-school products at all, up from 27.7% last year. This was revealed in the latest issue of The Checkout, an ongoing shopper behavior study conducted by Integer and M/A/R/C Research.

SEATTLE — Bartell Drugs announced today its “School Tools for Kids in Need” drive — a helping hand for teachers assisting local students with school supplies, running now through Aug. 31.

Bartell Drugs is welcoming donations of school supplies for its 10th annual “School Tools for Kids in Need” at 59 Bartell Drugs locations. The drive supports students in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties through World Vision’s Teacher Resource Center in Fife.

SOUTH DEERFIELD, Mass. — Collegiate Licensing Company, LLC, an affiliate of IMG College, and the Yankee Candle Company Inc., today announced the launch of a new co-branded collegiate-themed candle line. The Fan Candle Collegiate Collection, which debuted July 8, features 23 CLC institutions including Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Boston College, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.