CVS/pharmacy on Thursday expanded the role of two retail field executives as SVP operations Dennis Palmer, a 37-year retail veteran, announced his retirement. Effective Nov. 5, Hanley Wheeler, SVP operations, has assumed responsibility of CVS/pharmacy's western and southwestern markets while continuing to have responsibility for the company's retail operations in its Midwest and Southeast markets. Assuming responsibility for CVS/pharmacy's retail operations in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic is Kevin Hourican, SVP operations, who joined CVS/pharmacy in June from Macy's.

Rumor had it that Sunoco's retail presence was setting like the sun. But Energy Transfer Partners LP now says it will not sell off the approximately 4,900 convenience stores and gas stations obtained in its $2.6 billion Sunoco Inc. acquisition on Oct. 5. Analysts had said ETP should sell the stores because, being an oil pipeline company, it doesn't know retail.

Jim Farley, Ford's global vice president of marketing and sales, has big hopes for Lincoln, which is undergoing a big revamp. The automaker has made mistakes with the brand in the past, but is now putting its money where its mouth is. There's a brand new design studio dedicated solely to Lincoln and integrating engineering and other disciplines in one open plan, loft-like space. J. Mays, Ford's global design chief said the studio will "bring together a combination of imaginative engineering and style in a compelling package. Style is not just poured over the top of engineering." The new MKZ …

Circle K will return to the southeast region of the United States, having been gone for a decade. A new partnership with Atlanta-based Gas Express convenience stores is behind the return. On Oct. 10, the company awarded Gas Express a master franchise agreement that gives it exclusive Atlanta-area rights to the Circle K brand for Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb and Fulton counties.

Channel 4 and Abbey Road Studios have teamed up with Volkswagen to create a new TV music series in the UK, "Abbey Road Studios: In Session" with Volkswagen to mark the return of the VW Beetle. The show will feature a line-up of established and up-and-coming artists performing in session at the London studios. A supporting TV ad campaign, produced by The Outfit, featuring Paul Weller, is running across the Channel 4 portfolio, alongside pre-rolls and additional short-form video content online. A supporting effort on Spotify dangles tickets to the Paul Weller session by contributing songs to a VW Beetle …

Retailers are failing to keep deal sites from running their Black Friday ads. More than 30 retailers' ads have already been released without permission to deal sites this holiday season. By Tuesday afternoon, sites had already gotten copies of ads for deals starting the day after Thanksgiving for stores including Sports Authority, RadioShack and Kmart. Macy's released a "sneak peek" of 15 of its Black Friday deals. BFAds.net published the department store's 52-page Thanksgiving Day circular, but FatWallet.com says it held off publishing it at Macy's request, then ran them anyway on Tuesday.

The Galaxy S III has overtaken Apple's iPhone 4S for the first time ever to become the top selling smartphone for Q3 2012, according to Strategy Analytics. Samsung shipped 18 million copies of its handset during the quarter, compared to Apple's 16.2 million iPhone 4S units. But since the iPhone 5 launched at the end of the period the new phone probably cannibalized 4S sales. The market research firm thinks the new iPhone will beat Samsung in Q4.

The day after the votes were counted, the Washington, D.C.-based Electric Drive Transportation Association basically hailed President Barack Obama's re-election. The organization was one of many electric vehicle and green energy proponents to see a positive outcome to an otherwise bitter and divisive campaign in which challenger Mitt Romney and senior Republican leaders frequently scoffed at the need for alternative energy -- especially if the transition would require federal subsidies.

Restaurant and association executives said Republicans and Democrats need to find ways to build common ground. Rob Green, executive director of the National Council of Chain Restaurants, said the foodservice industry will continue to wrestle with many of the same issues it had been dealing with prior to the national election: the economy; health care, immigration and tax reform; commodity inflation; labor policy; and the pervasive, nagging uncertainty that continues to hobble business growth.

Mitsubishi Motors may be biting its nails about the departure of Suzuki. Is Mitz next? The automaker's market share is less than one percent, so things aren't good. In an effort to fix things the company has tapped Gayu Uesugi to fill the new post, having worked at Mitsubishi's Japanese headquarters overseeing product strategy and development and cost control.