After shattering both its international and domestic store growth records last year, 7-Eleven, Inc. is on target to have an even bigger year in 2012.

The world's largest retailer by units added more than 4,600 stores worldwide in 2011 and plans to continue the company's accelerated growth.

Some 600 additional stores were built, acquired or transitioned from another business to the 7-Eleven brand in the United States and Canada during 2011.

Customers are unwilling to entertain higher prices, even if the products involved offer better value than before. George F. Brown, Jr. shares a no-risk strategy that works by offering options.

In the early 70s, The Godfather gave us the immortal phrase “Make him an offer he can’t refuse.” While his line of business was well suited to executing an offer of this kind, most of us are in businesses where the customer can turn down an offer without having to worry about the consequences of saying no to the Godfather.

Jim Signorelli outlines the 6 Cs of StoryBranding: a breakthrough approach to identify and develop a compelling brand story.

Too much advertising tells us how to see things or what we should believe is important. As a result, we are often inundated with ‘facts’ that can be argued, and opinions that are self-serving. It is hard to form a willing relationship with anyone, let alone a brand, that tries too hard to convince us of its own importance.

South Africa’s AVI has acquired footwear manufacturer and retailer Green Cross, it has been announced.

AVI, whose licenced brands include Lavazza and Douwe Egberts Cafitesse in the food and beverage sector; and fashion names including Kurt Geiger and Lacoste, said the transaction represents a rare opportunity to acquire an established, category-leading brand of relevant scale with a solid record of profitable operations.

Google has released a major new study into the use of social tools in the workplace, which gathered opinions from 2,700 professionals across Europe.

The research revealed that 71 percent of senior executives are using social tools at work at least once a week compared to 49 percent of those in more junior roles – going against the stereotype that social media in business is most popular with younger generations.

German utility company E.ON has sold its gas transmission company in Germany, Open Grid Europe, to a consortium for €3.2 billion.  

The consortium consists of Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund 4, Infinity Investments, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation, and MEAG MUNICH ERGO Asset Management.

As part of an on-going upgrade of health services in the area, the Niagara Health System is on the verge of completing a state-of-the-art new hospital for the St Catharines area. Jane McCallion talks to chief planning and development officer Gloria Kain to discover how you turn one million square feet of building into one million square feet of care.

Barrick Gold holds some of the world’s most exciting gold projects in its South American portfolio, and is determined to lead the mining industry in responsible mining. Julia Smith reports on its contribution to sustainable development and environmental best practice.

SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company; and in West Africa, demand for its services is as high as ever, as Alan Swaby discovers.

Anyone working or simply taking an interest in gold mining will know full well that nothing can be said to potential investors about the value of a prospect that isn’t backed up by independent verification. In fact, as service providers go, there can’t be many that are as busy as those involved with testing and certification.