DALLAS -- A new 7-Eleven c-store is set to open in March at American Airlines Center in Dallas, home of the Mavericks and Stars, according to a report by SportsBusinessJournal.com. Putting a c-store in a sports facility is a first for 7-Eleven, a company spokesperson told the sports news outlet. Center Operating Co., the facility's manager, was in the final stages of negotiating a 10-year contract last week with officials from 7-Eleven, which is based in Dallas, the report said.

DALLAS -- It has been more than a year in the making, but Alon Brands hopes to begin an initial public offering (IPO) of stock "sometime around the second quarter of this year," according to Kyle McKeen, president and CEO. The company had filed the necessary paperwork in November 2008, but the conditions just haven't been right, according to McKeen.

WASHINGTON -- Employing a broad-based lobbying effort, the soft-drink industry has defeated a plan to tax sugared beverages, reported The Los Angeles Times. Public health advocates thought the tax would be a natural for congressional Democrats looking for revenue to fund expanded health insurance coverage, said the report. And the soaring costs of treating ailments related to excess weight—including diabetes and heart disease—added urgency to the issue.