OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Camp Hill, Pa. – Rite Aid will remove François J. Coutu from the board of directors effective as of Oct. 31. 24/7 Wall Street reports that a recent share sale by The Jean Coutu Group, which has held a seat on the board since 2007, brings its ownership of the company under the 5% threshold for board membership.

According to 24/7 Wall Street, The Jean Coutu Group has been selling Rite Aid shares at less than purchase price for some time.

Boulder, Colo. -- Trader Joe’s is North America’s favorite grocery store based on customer satisfaction, according to a new study of 6,600 consumers conducted by Market Force Information. Publix Super Markets and Whole Foods Market rounded out the top three. All three received high marks for courteous staff, inviting atmosphere and high-quality produce. Hy-Vee also scored well on those measures.

Irvine, Calif. – Taco Bell plans to discontinue all kids’ meals and toys at its U.S. restaurants. The fast-food chain will start removing the items from its menu at stores this month at anticipates to have eliminated all kids’ meals and toys in the U.S. by January of next year. Menu items from kids’ meals will remain available for individual purchase.

Greg Creed, CEO of Taco Bell, said kids’ meals are not part of the company’s long-range strategy and have an insignificant impact on overall sales.

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Company is entering the yogurt business. The company announced it has entered into a strategic agreement with the makers of Dannon to offer a jointly created and developed selection of specialty yogurt products in participating Starbucks stores and in grocery channels.

Boca Raton, Fla. – Office Depot is offering college students a variety of online back-to-school shopping services through a dedicated page on its e-commerce site. Features include an online catalog geared toward college students and an online college checklist, as well as a partnership with connected learning platform Chegg.

Through the Chegg partnership, Office Depot will run a contest called the “Countdown to College Giveaway” with prizes including technology devices and school supplies, and co-authored online tips and articles.

Boston -- Although Target has narrowed Walmart’s basket advantage, the world’s largest retailer continues to demonstrate its price advantage, according to Kantar Retail’s semi-annual pricing study.

With an overall branded basket 2.4% less expensive than Target’s, Walmart’s overall price gap has still remained within a few percentage points of Target’s, although its lead has narrowed since the last iteration of the study. Importantly, Target’s edible basket was within cents of Walmart’s.

Woodland Hills, Calif. – Build-A-Bear Workshop is partnering with 505 Games to release an app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch called “Bear Valley.” The app, available for $4.99 at the Apple App Store or on iTunes, lets customers create a virtual teddy bear and take it through various online experiences.

Bear Valley game features include shopping, buying and decorating a condo, performing in an outdoor theater, playing with toys, participating in scavenger hunts and playing on a playground. The game was developed by WayForward.

Houston -- U.S. Hispanics are more likely to purchase grocery foods, dairy, and bread from convenience stores (c-stores) than non-Hispanics, reports the NPD Group, leading global information company. Spanish-dominant Hispanics are more likely to make grocery item purchases at c-stores than other Hispanics, according to the NPD report entitled The C-Store Hispanic Shopper, which examines the typical convenience store shopping behavior of Hispanics by level of acculturation and how it compares to non-Hispanics.