U.S. convenience stores reached record in-store sales in 2013, with sales climbing 2.4 percent to $204 billion. Combined with motor fuels sales of $491.5 billion, overall convenience store sales were $695.5 billion, according to figures released today by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). The industry’s 2013 numbers were announced at the NACS State […]
Category: Store News
Posted in, Southeast, Store News
Largest Kroger In Georgia, Southeast Opens Today
A new Kroger Marketplace on Mall Boulevard in Florence Square in Savannah opened today, marking the largest Kroger store in Georgia and the Southeast. The more than 125,000-s.f. store brings 267 new jobs to the community and offers shoppers more than 97,000 s.f. of merchandise. It is the first Marketplace store in Savannah. Prior to […]
Posted in, Independent Store News, West
Gelson’s Debuts La Cañada Flintridge, Calif., Store
Gelson’s opened its newest supermarket Thursday in La Cañada Flintridge, Calif. The store, at 635 Foothill Blvd., marks the Southern California grocer’s 18th location. Features include: • A spacious service deli, featuring Wolfgang Puck Express (freshly made pizzas, sandwiches, salads); chef-prepared gourmet salads; on-site sushi chef; smoker for tri-tip and brisket sandwiches with “melt-in-your mouth” […]
Posted in, Albertsons, National, Store News
Safeway Ends ‘Go-Shop’ Period As Albertson’s Deal Moves Forward
Safeway Inc. said this morning that the 21-day “go-shop” period that was part of the terms of the definitive merger agreement, under which AB Acquisition LLC agreed to acquire all outstanding shares of Safeway, has expired. AB Acquisition owns both Albertson’s LLC and New Albertson’s Inc. Under the agreement, Safeway and its representatives were permitted […]
Posted in, National, Store News
Wegmans, Trader Joe’s, Publix, Costco, Sprouts Top Consumer Reports’ Grocer Ratings
When it comes to supermarkets, biggest isn’t always best. In Consumer Reports’ latest survey, Wegmans, Trader Joe’s, Publix, Costco and Sprouts earned the highest scores overall among 55 of the nation’s major grocery stores; Walmart, America’s largest grocer, landed at the bottom of the ratings, based on a survey of 27,208 subscribers. The report, which […]
Posted in, Southeast, Store News
Lowes Foods Now Accepting Direct Sales From Produce Farmers
When you shop for meat and vegetables at Lowes Foods, there’s a good chance the label will tell you if it came from a local farmer, according to the Triangle Business Journal. A new program allows Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Lowes Foods to buy fresh produce and meats directly from more than 100 small farms in North […]
Posted in, Southeast, Store News
Trader Joe’s Debuts First Tampa, Fla., Store
Trader Joe’s hosted a grand opening celebration of its Tampa, Fla., store on Friday—the company’s first store in the area. The 12,500-s.f. South Tampa store is located at 3808 West Swann Ave. and managed by Aimee Pawelek, who comes from Trader Joe’s in Knoxville, Tenn. She has been with the company for six years. The […]
Posted in, Independent Store News, National
NGA Expresses Concerns With Chairman Camp’s Tax Reform Proposal
On behalf of the National Grocers Association (NGA), Peter J. Larkin, NGA president and CEO, sent a letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) outlining concerns with Camp’s draft proposal to overhaul the nation’s tax code. Specifically, NGA addressed the negative impacts that the exclusion of non-manufacturing S-corporations from a lower […]
Posted in, Store News, West
WinCo Opening Second Bakersfield, Calif., Store On Thursday
WinCo Foods will open its newest supermarket at 8 a.m. Thursday, March 27, in Bakersfield, Calif. The store is the company’s second in Bakersfield and occupies approximately 88,000 s.f. and reflects WinCo’s newer décor package that WinCo says creates a solid, clean feel that highlights products, including the hundreds of new WinCo Foods private label items […]
Posted in, Independent Store News, National
AWG Reports Record Sales And Earnings
Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG), the nation’s second largest cooperative food wholesaler, has reported consolidated net sales of $8.38 billion, up 6.8 percent over the prior year, marking the first time the company has exceeded the $8 billion mark. Same-store sales were up nearly 2 percent over the prior year. Operating income was a record $201 […]
Posted in, Store News, West
Food 4 Less To Open FoodsCo Supermarket In Oakland On Wednesday
FoodsCo, a banner of Food 4 Less, will open its first Oakland, Calif., store on Wednesday, March 26, following the ribbon-cutting at 7:30 a.m. The new 80,000-s.f. supermarket is located in East Oakland’s Foothill Square Shopping Center at 10790 MacArthur Blvd. “We are very excited about this opportunity to open our newest FoodsCo store in […]
Posted in, Southeast, Store News
Governor Signs Bill To Allow Wine Sales In Tenn. Grocery Stores
As expected, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today signed the wine in grocery stores bill. The matter will now go to voters in the state. According to the Memphis Business Journal, municipalities can now begin petitioning for a referendum on allowing the sale of wine in grocery stores, but it will be at least two years […]
Posted in, National, Store News
Supervalu Consolidates Independent Biz Regions, Laying Off 200
Supervalu’s independent business will consolidate from three regions to two regions, forming new East and West teams. The new East and West independent business regions will be located in Mechanicsville, Va., and Hopkins, Minn., respectively. Kevin Kemp will serve as president of the East region and Bill Chew will serve as president of the West […]
Posted in, Midwest, Store News
Meijer Adds Features To Digital Shopping Tool App
Meijer has added features to its mPerks program that allows customers to store digital receipts from purchases in a single place and details exactly how much they’ve saved by shopping at the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer. With more than $100 million saved by mPerks subscribers since 2010, Meijer says it is among the first retailers […]
Posted in, Independent Store News, Midwest
Russ’s Lincoln Wine & Food Experience Raises Record Amount
Supporters of the Lincoln Community Playhouse in Nebraska raised a record $43,550.56 at last month’s 2014 Lincoln Wine & Food Experience. The event, presented by Russ’s Market, has now raised more than $200,000 total for the playhouse in its six years of existence. Nearly 900 people attended this year’s event held at Embassy Suites. The […]
Posted in, Independent Store News, West
Stater Bros. Launches 2-Ads-1-Day Wednesdays
Stater Bros. is debuting a program called “2 ads 1 day.” A new Stater Bros. ad breaks on Wednesday of each week, and now the prior week’s ad also is effective on that one day as well. In other words, on Wednesdays, Stater Bros. customers can shop two ads, together, on the same day. “Food […]
Posted in, Independent Store News, National
Mrs. Green’s Natural Market Plans To Open 22 Stores By Year’s End
Mrs. Green’s Natural Market has big expansion plans for 2014. The company plans to open 22 new locations this year across the Northeast and Midwest U.S. and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Alberta. Spring grand openings will include West Windsor, N.J., on March 28 and New Canaan, Conn., on April 11. Mrs. Green’s plans […]
Posted in, Southwest, Store News
Brookshire’s Inaugural Fresh 15 Raises More Than $80K For Charity
Brookshire Grocery Co. (BGC) has donated more than $80,000 to charity from funds raised through its inaugural Fresh 15 road race, held at its new concept store, Fresh by Brookshire’s, in Tyler, Texas. The race was held March 1 and featured a 15k, 5k and kids’ 1k, along with post-race entertainment and food. BGC partnered […]
Posted in, Southeast, Store News
Bi-Lo Holdings Announces Banner Conversions For 10 Georgia Stores
Bi-Lo Holdings, parent company of the Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie supermarket chains, has decided to convert seven existing Harveys stores to Winn-Dixie stores and three existing Winn-Dixie stores to Harveys stores. These stores are part of the pending acquisition of 134 operating stores from Delhaize Group. “We carefully evaluated the market areas around each store and […]
Posted in, National, Store News
Fresh Market Revises Expansion Plans As Profit Drops 90 Percent
After a disappointing 2013 and a 90.4 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit, Greensboro, N.C.-based specialty grocer The Fresh Market is modifying its real estate expansion plans and will close several stores in the Houston and Sacramento markets. The Business Journal reports that The Fresh Market reported late Thursday net income of $2 million, or 4 […]