High energy bills are a problem faced by c-store chains across the country, with 24-hour operations requiring constant lighting, heating, cooling and refrigeration. In the U.S., a typical convenience store uses an average of 52.5 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per s.f. each year. Compared to other commercial spaces, this is three times the average, with […]
Category: Store News
Pizza Inn Could Be Coming To C-Stores Soon With New Concept
After almost 60 years in business, Pizza Inn is introducing a new prototype for a non-traditional licensing model called Pizza Inn Express, or PIE for short, that will give customers “a fast, seamless experience when picking up their favorite hot pizza.” Geared toward convenience stores, but also an airport or entertainment venue option, the licensing deal for PIE will […]
Walmart To Raise Wages, Provide One-Time Bonus & Expand Benefits
Walmart today announced plans to increase the starting wage rate for all hourly associates in the U.S. to $11, expand maternity and parental leave benefits and provide a one-time cash bonus for eligible associates of up to $1,000. The company also is creating a new benefit to assist associates with adoption expenses. The combined wage and […]
More Stater Bros. Leadership Changes Follow Promotion Of Frahm
Southern California-based supermarket chain Stater Bros. Markets has made a number of changes to its leadership team that it says “leverage the expertise and experience of key management members to guide and ensure the company’s continued success.” Dan Meyer, a 46-year member of the Stater Bros. “family” will assume the role of EVP of distribution. In […]
Food Lion Expands Home Delivery Service Area To Sanford, N.C.
More Food Lion customers in the greater Raleigh, North Carolina, area can have their groceries delivered to their door through the grocer’s partnership with Instacart, Food Lion is expanding the delivery service to Sanford-area customers. “Since its launch in the Raleigh area in June 2016, Instacart has been well received by our customers, and we […]
Bashas’ Celebrates Grand Reopening Of North Phoenix Store
Bashas’ celebrated the grand reopening of its 7th Street and Union Hills Drive supermarket (731 E. Union Hills Drive) in north Phoenix, Arizona, on Jan. 10, with the celebration continuing through Saturday, Jan. 13. The newly remodeled store’s expanded offerings include: New value aisles featuring the best deals in the store; A walk-up Starbucks coffee and […]
Aldi Expanding In Florida, California With Stores And New Hires
As part of its $3.4 billion investment to increase its store count to 2,500 by 2022, discount grocer Aldi is opening its first store in Orange Park, Florida, at 661 Blanding Boulevard. To celebrate the opening, Aldi will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 11, at 8:25 a.m. Following the ceremony, the store will […]
Whole Foods Market Opens New Chicago Distribution Center
Whole Foods Market joined Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday to open its new 140,000-s.f. distribution center in the Pullman neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. The new DC will allow Whole Foods to better serve its 26 Chicagoland locations as well as an additional 34 locations across the Midwest and Eastern Canada, says the natural […]
URM Stores Continues To Strengthen Its Value Proposition For Retailers
Ray Sprinkle has been at the helm of URM Stores Inc. in Spokane, Washington, for four years now. During that time, the retailer-owned co-op has enjoyed some bright spots, like sales growth and a frozen and refrigerated warehouse expansion, while also weathering some storms, including a data breach. The future looks to be mostly sunny, […]
7-Eleven Launches Its First USDA Organic, Cold-Pressed Offerings
7-Eleven stores are carrying a new line of organic, cold-pressed proprietary juices. The new juices are part of the retailer’s 7-Select GO!Smart private brand line of better-for-you snacks and beverages. They comes in four varieties: Clean & Green—kale, cucumber, apple, spinach, mint, celery, lime, parsley; Tropical Glow—pineapple, orange, banana, apple, mango, passionfruit, coconut water; Berry & Bright—Tart cherry, carrot, blackberry, […]
Company Veteran Wescoe Named President Of Whole Foods’ Northeast Region
Whole Foods Market announced Jan. 8 that it has appointed 24-year company veteran Nicole Wescoe as president of its Northeast region, overseeing 41 stores in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Her territory includes the East Coast’s first Whole Foods Market 365 store, opening in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood in January, and a new Whole […]
NACS: Sales Of Healthy Foods & Beverages Expected To Keep Growing In 2018
Healthy food and beverage sales growth led to positive overall sales at convenience stores in 2017, and retailers expect the momentum to continue in 2018, according to a survey of retailers recently released by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). A total of 103 member companies participated in the December 2017 survey. More than […]
Bashas’ Chicken Challenge: Turn A Rotisserie Chicken Into Three Dishes
After stretching their pocketbooks during the holidays, families are looking for ways to stretch their grocery dollars, so Arizona grocer Bashas’ is encouraging them to get creative in the kitchen with a new challenge: share three easy-to-make dishes from one Bashas’ rotisserie chicken. The hometown grocer’s second annual “Stretch Your Dollar” Rotisserie Chicken Challenge will […]
Food City Will Celebrate New Look At Tucson, Arizona, Store Jan. 10
Food City is celebrating its newly remodeled store at 1740 W. Ajo Way in Tucson, Arizona, with a grand reopening event on Wednesday, Jan. 10. The newly remodeled store has festive décor and expanded products, service offerings and features, according to Food City, a Bashas’ banner. They include: An expanded bakery department, which features pan […]
Sprouts To Enter South Carolina With Q2 Round Of Openings
Phoenix, Arizona-based Sprouts Farmers Market will open six new locations in the second quarter of 2018, including one in Simpsonville, South Carolina, bringing the company’s footprint up to 16 states. Sprouts will open approximately 30 new stores across the country in 2018. The six new stores included in the announcement are: Augusta, Georgia—630 Crane Creek […]
SpartanNash Introduces ‘Our Family’ Brand To Michigan Retailers
SpartanNash is introducing the Our Family brand to the Michigan market—at its 87 retail stores, including Family Fare Supermarkets, D&W Fresh Market, Forest Hills Foods, ValuLand and VG’s stores, and at more than 300 independent retail customer stores throughout the state. Our Family products are available in every aisle of the store, including items like […]
AGNE To Purchase Five Vermont Independent Grocery Stores
Associated Grocers of New England (AGNE) will buy one of Vermont’s largest independent retail grocery chains and add five stores to its roster. Vermont grocer Mike Comeau is selling his stores in Waterbury, Richmond, Shelburne, Johnson and Jericho to AGNE, which is headquartered in Pembroke, New Hampshire. In announcing the purchase, Comeau said, “As we […]
Lunds & Byerlys Launches Digital Loyalty Program, Integrated Coupons
Lunds & Byerlys, a Minnesota-based, family-owned grocer, and Unata, a provider of 1-to-1 digital solutions for grocers, have launched Lunds & Byerlys Extras and Integrated Digital Coupons, two new digital features that the companies say will deliver convenient and affordable shopping for customers online and in-store. Lunds & Byerlys Extras is the retailer’s new digital […]
Georgia Independent’s Own-Recipe Fried Peanut Clusters Spawn A Thriving Second Business
by Lorrie Griffith/editor–Southeast West Foods, an independent grocery store in the rural southwest Georgia town of Edison, has been making and selling fried peanuts to its customers for many years. The store’s owner, John West, who bought the store from his dad, Richard, back earlier in this decade, said the peanuts have always been a […]
Hy-Vee Program Raises $290K For Veterans And Military Members
Hy-Vee customers joined the company’s annual Hy-Vee Round Up for the Homefront initiative during the month of November and raised $290,068.85 to support our country’s active-duty military members and veterans. Starting Nov. 1 and running through Nov. 30, the Round Up program provided customers at the company’s 246 grocery stores across eight Midwestern states the […]
