Edward Jones apparently didn't get the memo that there's a recession going on and that the financial markets have tanked.

The St. Louis-based investment brokerage has big retail expansion plans for the Valley, plus further growth at its campus in Tempe. The slump hasn't derailed those efforts.

"We have identified this as a great opportunity to serve more clients," said Andrea Feeney, a department leader at the Tempe campus who is working on the Valley expansion.

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Who’s still opening retail locations in this difficult economy? Once again following Apple’s example, Microsoft Corp., for one, has decided to open a chain of retail locations.

Interestingly, the software behemoth has hired an exec from Wal-Mart, the retail behemoth, David Porter, to oversee its entrance into the retail biz. How will the Microsoft stores be different? Details are few so far, but instead of genius bars, there will be guru zones (or something) in the store. Instead of an Apple logo and ultra-stylish decor, there will be... a pomegranate and cinder blocks? Time will tell.

Buffalo Wild Wings is also planning expansion in 2009, a rarity in the chain-restaurant world these days. Last year, the company opened 67 restaurants, bringing the total to 567 in 39 states. During 2009, the company is planning on increasing its number of restaurants by about 15 percent, or maybe about 85 locations.

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Turkish low-cost retailer BIM - known in the trade as “the Turkish Aldi” - aims to open forty stores in Morocco this year and invest 110 million lira (£55 million) as part of its current aggressive expansion. This is largely on the back of predictions that hard discounters will ultimately fare well in the global economic downturn. BIM has added that lower raw material costs would help maintain a “normal, acceptable” fourth quarter profit margin after a drop in the third quarter which concerned analysts.

At Is Invest, analysts said that higher operating and financial expense due to foreign exchange loss and interest expenses caused the lower bottom line in 4Q08 and 4Q07, adding that low prices make BIM the firm least affected in Turkey during the financial crisis.

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Save-A-Lot Food Stores said Thursday it is opening three new stores in New Orleans this week.

Save-A-Lot, which touted its involvement in the rebuilding of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, said the three stores would create 100 new jobs for residents.

Save-A-Lot said it is able to expand because it specializes in offering “extreme-value,” or cheaper groceries.

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NEW YORK, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Discount retailer Dollar General Corp said on Tuesday fourth-quarter sales at stores open at least a year rose 9.4 percent, and it plans to accelerate the opening of new locations.
The retailer also said total sales for its fiscal fourth quarter, ended Jan. 30, were $2.85 billion, up 11.2 percent from a year earlier.

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Though 2008 was wrought with layoffs and economic struggles, the New Year means rejuvenated hope for job seekers.

While several companies continue to make mass layoffs, other companies are shifting their focus to hire aggressively in the beginning of 2009.

"This is a difficult economy, no doubt," says Andrea Hough, vice president of talent acquisition for ServiceMaster, a lawn care and landscape maintenance company. "However, I would caution job seekers to be thoughtful about whom they are going to work for and not act out of desperation. There are some very strong companies with solid ethics in need of employees eager to be a part of a thriving organization."

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Despite a stalling economy and unemployment on the rise, two major companies are hiring by the hundreds.

Target is about to open its first two Hawaii stores and needs up to 1,200 workers. Costco is opening its seventh site, and needs up to 200 there.

Target is about to breathe new life into this long-vacant commercial building -- and into the Hawaii job market.

"It's going to be a great way for folks to kick off '09 with us coming to Hawaii," says Roger Thomas, Target.

Between the Salt Lake site and one in Kapolei, Target will be hiring up to 1,200 people for a march opening. when it opens a Kona location next July, it'll hire another 400.

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WinCo Foods Inc. is one retailer that’s increasing its sales in the recession.

The discount warehouse grocery chain, which has five stores in Greater Sacramento, expects to boost its sales by $500 million for the fiscal year ending in late March, said Mike Read, vice president of legal and public affairs. WinCo projects sales of $4 billion, up from $3.5 billion for last fiscal year.

A rumor has WinCo scouting around the region for possible expansion sites — the retailer’s typical store is about 94,000 square feet. The grocer is always looking in the five Western states for possible sites, Read said. He said he wasn’t aware of any particular site being considered or any specific growth plans here.

But, he added, “We’ve had great success in the Sacramento market.”

The Boise, Idaho-based grocer last added a Sacramento-area store almost three years ago, in Orangevale. Its other stores are in Roseville, Antelope, Folsom and Elk Grove.

The retailer has been adding six to seven stores a year for the past several years, for a 10 percent growth rate. The company has 64 stores, including 27 in California.

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Some companies are promising not to lay off any workers, even during times of financial hardship.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- In the midst of a recession, job cut announcements have become a daily occurrence. But some employers have promised no pink slips, and are sticking to it.
So far this week around 40,000 job cuts have been announced by an array of companies as varied as Dow Chemical, Electronic Arts, the National Football League and Sony Corp.
But even as the number of unemployed grows, some companies say their workers have nothing to fear.
"I have never in my 13 years [at the company] felt that my job is in jeopardy due to the economy," said Jill Kronman, a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines (LUV, Fortune 500).That's because Southwest is committed to avoiding layoffs at all costs - and they're not alone.

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PLANO — At 6:30 a.m., the sun hasn't risen yet, and the streets in this Dallas suburb are deserted. But in a beige strip mall surrounded by newly built homes, hundreds of people are waiting in line, shuffling their feet in the cold air.

They are here for the grand opening of natural foods chain Sunflower Farmers Market's first store in Texas . With stores that are smaller than those of traditional grocers, Colorado-based Sunflower touts its rock-bottom prices, convenience and wide selection of produce.

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New York (CNN) -- Saying that moving quickly is imperative, President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday offered an outline of his economic recovery plan to create 2.5 million jobs by 2011, saying American workers will rebuild the nation's roads and bridges, modernize its schools and create more sources of alternative energy.

"These aren't just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis," Obama said in the weekly Democratic address, posted on his Web site. "These are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long."

Details of the plan are still being worked out by his economic team, Obama said, but he hopes to sign the two-year, nationwide plan shortly after taking office January 20.

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