Bits and Pieces - A Closer Look - Private Label Buyer

Lubbock, Texas-based United Supermarkets said 19 of the company's 22 gas stations will offer its own brand of fuel by April 1. Supplied by major domestic refineries in the area, United Express Fuels will replace ConocoPhillips brands at most of the chain's United Supermarkets, Market Street and Amigos United gas stations.
Camp Hill, Pa.-based Rite Aid recently wrapped up a "Winter Weekend Blowout" that offered shoppers who bought one Rite Aid brand product 50 percent off the price of a second. Promoted on the chain's Web site, the three-day sale ended Feb. 27.
Sam's Club, Bentonville, Ark., announced the addition of a new private label red wine to its expanding own brand collection. Available for about $8 a bottle at more than 400 Sam's Club locations, Infinite is produced by Spanish winery Bodegas Torres.
Loblaw Companies Ltd., Brampton, Ontario, said it recently kicked off its fourth two-week-long Big Brands event. The promotion offers selected items from Kraft, Pepsi, Campbell's and Nestle as well as the chain's President's Choice lineup for half price, giving consumers the opportunity to stock up on favorite products.
Dallas-based 7-Eleven announced the opening of its first "green" store in DeLand, Fla., this week. The company said it expects the building to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Business Council. Built on a site originally covered with asphalt, the new building boasts a heat recovery system, low-flow water fixtures, skylights, drought-resistant plants and many other energy-efficient features.
Delhaize Group-owned Food Lion LLC, Salisbury, N.C., recently launched a new pricing strategy that will permanently lower retail prices on thousands of products across several categories, including cereal, produce, milk and bread, said a report in the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch. Advertised via in-store signage and e-mail messages, the price cuts will encompass both private label and national brand products.
Naperville, Ill.-based OfficeMax said it will expand its Brenton Studio and Eastleigh private label office furniture collections with the addition of new desk and workspace selections. The expanded lines will complement the chain's store brand office supply products.
Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart said it hopes to eliminate 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from its global supply chain by the end of 2015, a goal equal to one and a half times the company's global carbon footprint growth over the next five years.