WISE COLUMN: Kangaroo stores updating food selection

Kangaroo Express' 61 convenience stores throughout the Charleston region are about to undergo a $5.5 million makeover with new food offerings.

Owned by The Pantry Inc. , the Cary, N.C.-based company plans to add new coffee, fresh food and bakery options in all the stores in the market.

The stores will carry a broader assortment of pastries, warm breakfast sandwiches, fresh fruit and fountain beverages.

They also will offer a variety of fresh sandwiches, salads and grill options for on-the-go lunch and dinner.

The "Fresh Initiative" was launched by the 1,655-store chain in Raleigh last summer and is branching out.

Customers may already see some of the changes in local stores.

Snip, snip

Goodwill Industries of Lower South Carolina will snip the ribbon on its new retail store and donation center at 9 a.m. Thursday at 1758 Main Road on Johns Island. Zen Asian Fusion of West Ashley has donated 100 gift cards for the first 100 people who donate to that location.

On the agenda

The Charleston Board of Zoning Appeals will hear several retail-related items at a meeting that starts at 5:15 Tuesday in the meeting room on the third floor of 75 Calhoun St. They include:

--A variance to allow a restaurant and food store with retail sales and on-premises consumption of beer and wine at 2301 Delano St. or 2301 Austin Ave. in Rosemont. Gloria Montgomery is the owner and applicant.

--Special exceptions for parking at a proposed restaurant on the ground floor of 515 King St. and 3 Morris St. and a five-room accommodation on the second floor in the general business district on Upper King Street. Owner is Morris and King LLC. The applicant is Neil Stevenson Architects.

--A variance to allow a coffee shop at 70 1/2 Beaufain St. The owner is Decatur Wilson. The applicant is Black Top Coffee Co.

Fat burner

Blast900, a fitness studio in which participants can burn an average of 900 calories per one-hour session, will open in mid-November at 1440 Ben Sawyer Blvd., Suite 1500, Mount Pleasant.

The workout, according to founder Missi Wolf, stresses and strengthens participants' bodies through a proprietary combination of cardiovascular conditioning on state-of-the-art treadmills, with weight training, core stability and stretching activities. It also offers body-age assessment, heart-rate coaching and a nutritional evaluation. Two other locations are in Atlanta.

Spendthrifts

Holiday shoppers each will spend about $15 less than last year, according to the latest survey from the National Retail Federation. The average holiday shopper will shell out about $704 on gifts and seasonal items, down from last year's $719, NRF said. Retail sales should be up 2.8 percent in November and December to $465.6 billion, but not as strong as last year's 5.2 percent increase in holiday spending.

Do you know of a business that is opening, closing or expanding? Reach Warren L. Wise at 937-5524, wwise@postandcourier.com or twitter.com/warrenlance wise.