.......................................................................
 

24x7 NRI News World Wide---------> WWW. NRIpress.com or Click here

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February Online Grocery Sales: $7.9 Billion, Marking a 10% Decrease from Previous Year

The U.S. online grocery market finished February with total monthly sales of $7.9 billion, down 10.5% compared to 2023, according to the most recent Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopper Survey fielded February 28-29. Lower average order values were the central catalyst driving the...Read More

Grocery Outlet plans to open up to 60 stores in 2024

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. experienced year-over-year net sales growth of 6.3% to $989.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2023, the company reported Tuesday in its Q4 earnings report.  Gross margins were flat for the quarter at 30.2%, while comparable store sales ticked up 2.7% year over year, a move that was driven by a 7.5% increase in transactions, the company reported.......Read More

Soups and sauces face a new frontier

Soups and sauces are going international. With a wide range of ethnic segments, and especially younger shoppers increasingly seeking more exciting eating, soups and sauces are becoming appealing fixtures in supermarket global food aisles. “The rising millennial population, which is always in search of exotic experiences, is increasingly positive to adopt new ingredients and flavors in their food palate,” reports San Francisco-based Grand View Research Inc.....Read More

National Labor Relations Board hears complaints from a Trader Joe's store

As workers at a Trader Joe’s in Hadley, Mass., contemplate leaving a union that was formed in 2022, the National Labor Relations Board heard complaints on Tuesday against the store. There appears to be several allegations that the store has retaliated against employees due to the forming of the union. The Hadley location was the first Trader Joe’s where workers voted to unionize......Read More

Publix sees Q3 gains via new store openings, 4.3% comps

New store openings and comparable-store sales gains of 4.3% helped fuel a 16.2% increase in adjusted net income for the third quarter at Publix Super Markets. On an unadjusted basis, net income more than doubled for the three-month period ending Sept. 30, to $833 million, vs. $394 million in the year-ago quarter....Read More

The Fresh Market named best grocery store in America by USA Today

The Fresh Market has once again been named the “Best Grocery Store in America” by USA Today. The honor is a part of USA Today’s “10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.” A panel of local experts and contributors nominated their favorite American grocery stores based on value, selection, and service. The top 10 winners were determined by popular vote over a 28-day period through the 10Best website. The Fresh Market took the No. 1 spot for Best Grocery Store in America....Read More

Today’s Beef Consumer – Insights on Beef’s Performance at Retail

This insightful webinar offers a comprehensive exploration of the ever-evolving landscape of beef demand. Hear from industry experts as they dissect the most up-to-date research findings, providing invaluable insights into consumer preferences, emerging trends, and market dynamics. Discover key factors influencing beef purchasing decisions and gain a deeper understanding of consumer perceptions towards different beef cuts and sourcing practices.......Read More

SNAP recipients can now get Walmart+ at a discounted rate

Walmart is giving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients a little more help through its Walmart+ program. The cost of the subscription service has been reduced from $98 a year (or $12.95 monthly) to $49 a year ($6.47 monthly). Walmart said about a quarter of Walmart+ members receive SNAP, and the move could increase Walmart+ shoppers significantly.......Read More

Walgreens will close 150 stores

Walgreens has announced that it will close 150 stores in the U.S. this year — this comes on the heels of posting a disappointing Q3. During its third quarter financial call earlier this week, Walgreens Boots Alliance softened its fiscal year projections after the demand for COVID-19 immunizations and tests, as well as respiratory seasonal sales, was not as high as expected.......Read More

Target wants to grow grocery revenue

Take a closer look at Target’s sales bag over the last quarter, and you will see a lot more groceries. It’s a trend the retailer is determined to cash in on as more shoppers become more finicky with their purchases during times of inflation. The essentials are what’s selling......Read More

Is Texas ready to offer ready-to-drink cocktails in supermarkets?

There are bills in the Texas state House and Senate that would make the sale of ready-to-drink cocktails and seltzers mixed with distilled spirits available in grocery and convenience stores. Beer, wine and malt liquor that have an alcohol content of 17% or lower can be found on the shelves of markets in Texas, but so far ready-to-drink cocktails following the same restrictions are prohibited........Read More

Grocery stocks outperformed market in 2022

The stock prices of publicly traded food retailers had mixed performances in 2022, but most fared better than the market overall. Many grocery stocks started the year strong, but as inflation ramped up quickly in the first half of the year — and the economic outlook became gloomier amid rising interest rates and the fear of a possible recession — several companies’ stock prices faltered.......Read More

Publix unveils winners of top employee awards

Publix Super Markets has announced the winners of this year’s George W. Jenkins Award and President’s Award, which were presented at the company’s retail operations conference earlier this month in Orlando, Fla. Each of the 12 employee awards was presented to one retail leader from each of the company’s five divisions and one support leader, the Lakeland, Fla.-based company said...........Read More

Grocery stores help lift U.S. retail sales in October

U.S. retail sales picked up slightly for October, with grocery stores among the leading drivers. October retail and foodservice sales totaled $694.52 billion (seasonally adjusted), up 1.3% from September but up 8.3% from October 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau reported in advance estimates on Wednesday........Read More

CPG manufacturers, retailers adjust pricing game plans

Shopper cost sensitivity amid elevated inflation is leading consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers and retailers to keep a tighter rein on pricing, new research from Advantage Sales shows. Just 38% of manufacturers polled plan to enact price hikes in response to increased costs, according to the October 2022 Advantage Sales Outlook. Of those companies, 13% aim to implement a first or second price increase, 18% a third increase, 6% a fourth increase and 1% a....Read More

Bold Commerce brings checkout lane impulse buys to online grocery

Bold Commerce, the ecommerce technology company that powers checkout and subscription experiences for leading retailers and DTC brands, today announces its newest curbside checkout feature for brick-and-mortar and omnichannel retailers. Curb Up enables retailers to recapture the high-margin impulse purchases lost with the growth of curbside checkout by introducing upsell and cross-sell opportunities after an order has been placed and during pick-up......Read More

Fresh food sales on the rise, especially online

Some 40% of online sales are being generated by fresh foods departments, suggesting a major change from previous trends. Food retail sales for many fresh departments were up significantly from 2019 to 2021, based on IRI data. Seafood experienced particularly strong growth over those two years, at 31%. Fresh foods (perishables) outperformed non-perishables in the past year.....Read More

Retailers can tame inflation with intelligent pricing

Matthew Pavich is a contributor to Supermarket News and senior director of retail innovation at Revionics, an Aptos Company, an Austin, Texas-based provider of science-based solutions for pricing, promotions, markdowns and competitive insights to help enterprise retailers with price optimization.......Read More

Grocery-June-2

Online grocery shoppers spend more but less loyal

U.S. online grocery consumers spend more than in-store customers but shop at more retailers, according to the latest dunnhumby Consumer Trends Tracker. Omnichannel shoppers spend one-and-a-half times more on groceries than their in-store-only counterparts but spread their dollars at up to twice as many retailers, dunnhumby said in the .....Read More

Grocery-June

Albertsons' retail media arm aims to ‘close loop’ between ad spend, sales

Albertsons Media Collective, the retail media arm of Albertsons Cos., has adopted audience and measurement solutions from The Trade Desk to help give CPG advertisers a sharper picture of connection between ad campaigns and customer..... Read More

Walmart to step up drone delivery service

Walmart this year plans to roll out DroneUp drone delivery for online orders to six states, enabling the retailer to serve 4 million households via the service. In a blog post on Tuesday, David Guggina, senior vice president of innovation and automation for Walmart U.S.said Walmart aims to expand DroneUp delivery to 34 sites in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah and Virginia by the end of 2022......Read More

Meijer to bring Midwestern suppliers back into the spotlight

This summer, Meijer plans to hold its second virtual localization summit, in which grocery and other vendors from across the supercenter retailer’s Midwestern market will showcase their wares to its buyers and procurement teams. The Lift Local Supplier Event, scheduled for July 19 to 21, will focus on categories such as grocery (including fresh, deli and bakery),.....Read More

The Fresh Market launches its first shopper rewards program

The Fresh Market has jumped into the rewards arena with the Ultimate Loyalty Experience, the specialty grocer’s first customer loyalty program in its 40-year history. Now available at all 159 stores in 22 states, as well as via The Fresh Market website, the Ultimate Loyalty Experience offers members exclusive savings on products.....Read More

Grocery retailers celebrate workers on Supermarket Employee Day

FMI noted that the Supermarket Employee Day’s return reflects the enthusiastic response to its launch last year, including participation from nearly every level of FMI membership, from retailers and wholesalers to suppliers and state association partners. With more than 40,000 stores that sell food and grocery items in the U.S. alone, there are millions of hardworking frontline heroes to celebrate..........Read More

DoorDash extends grocery delivery reach with Southeastern Grocers partnership

Online food delivery provider DoorDash on Tuesday launched on-demand grocery delivery from more than 400 Southeastern Grocers stores, including the retailer’s Fresco y Más, Harveys and Winn-Dixie banners. Online shoppers at SEG stores throughout Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana can now have groceries delivered from their local store in as little as 45 minutes.

7-Eleven to pilot delivery via robotics-powered vehicles

Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven said Wednesday said the pilot in Mountain View, Calif., will mark the first autonomous commercial delivery in the state. Customers in the service area will be able to place orders through the 7NOW delivery app and have their products delivered by bot-powered vehicles.....Read More

BJ’s taps H-E-B exec Rachael Vegas as chief merchant

BJ’s said that Vegas starts as chief merchant effective immediately. The Westborough, Mass.-based warehouse club chain also announced the promotions of Tim Morningstar to executive VP and chief membership officer and Monica Schwartz to executive VP and chief digital officer......Read More

Cub Foods eyes crisper produce operations

Midwestern grocer Cub Foods plans to deploy the Afresh fresh-food optimization platform in selected stores across the greater Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. The artificial intelligence-powered Afresh Fresh Operating System will be used to sharpen fresh produce operations at the Cub supermarkets, helping them reduce shrink, accelerate stock turns to provide shoppers with fresher produce......Read More

Grocers tap cash-back platform to spur shopper return visits

Cardenas Markets, Woodman’s Market, Vicente Foods and Lunds & Byerlys — have enlisted the GetUpside cash-back promotional platform to boost shopper engagement. Washington-based retail technology provider GetUpside said this week that the additions expand its total grocery store locations to more than 175, as well as its geographic footprint in the supermarket channel. ........ReadMore

FreshDirect co-founder David McInerney steps down as CEO

FreshDirect co-founder and CEO David McInerney is leaving the pure-play online grocer, four months after the company’s acquisition by global food retailer Ahold Delhaize. McInerney is stepping down from FreshDirect effective today and will be succeeded on an interim basis by Farhan Siddiqi, chief digital officer of Ahold Delhaize, the Zaandam, Netherlands-based company said.......Read More

Amazon expands own-brand grocery lineup with Aplenty

Amazon has added a new food line called Aplenty to its private-brand grocery roster.Sold online and in-store via Amazon Fresh supermarkets, Aplenty at launch includes such items as pita chips, potato chips, crackers, cookies and mustard, Seattle-based Amazon said Monday. Plans call for hundreds more Aplenty products to roll out over the next year, covering such categories as.....Read More

Costco posts 13% comp-sales gain in second quarter

Food and e-commerce were among the bright spots as Costco Wholesale Corp. posted double-digit sales gains for February and its fiscal 2021 second quarter. Quarterly earnings missed Wall Street’s projections, however, as Costco recorded significant COVID-19 costs, mainly from pandemic-related pay hikes........Read More

Walmart’s omnichannel game plan yields fiscal 2021 sales boost

CEO Doug McMillon says retail giant will ‘stay ahead’ with investments in e-commerce, supply chain, wages Walmart tallied robust sales gains, including strong U.S. comparable-sales growth, for its fiscal 2021 fourth quarter and year, despite missing Wall Street’s adjusted earnings forecast and posting a quarterly GAAP net loss.......Read More

Lidl offers extra pay to U.S. workers receiving COVID-19 vaccine

Arlington, Va.-based Lidl US said Wednesday that the additional payment will help offset  employee costs related to receiving a coronavirus vaccine, including travel expenses and child care. Workers’ schedules also will have flexibility to accommodate appointments for the vaccine, the company added......Read More

Stater Bros. extends $2 hourly wage bonus into January

San Bernardino, Calif.-based Stater Bros. said Tuesday that all hourly employees in its store, distribution, transportation and construction operations and corporate offices will receive an extra $2 per hour worked for another two weeks, effective as of the work period starting Dec. 27..........Read More

Walmart sells off its Argentina business to Grupo de Narváez

As it continues to restructure its international presence, Walmart Inc. has agreed to sell its business in Argentina to Grupo de Narváez, a South American retail group. No financial terms were released. Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart said it will continue to support the business through transition services and sourcing agreements under the new ownership, but will not retain an equity stake.........Read More

Southeastern Grocers eyes more effective promotions

Southeastern Grocers is building on efforts to personalize customer engagement by making its promotions more effective.The parent of Winn-Dixie, Bi-Lo, Harveys and Fresco y Más supermarkets, Southeastern Grocers in June implemented the Eagle Eye Solutions AIR Platform to create a central hub for continuously capturing customer data and interactions across retail channels,....Read More

Grocery retailers feel impact as nationwide protests escalate

Just like the rest of the nation, grocery retailers are watching and waiting as the strife from protests over the death of George Floyd is exploding in cities coast to coast. Through the weekend, protests were ongoing in more than 30 cities, ....Read More

Pandemic pushes shoppers to expand ‘retailer repertoire’

Encountering empty shelves and disarray at their regular stores, many U.S. consumers turned to other retailers or went online to buy groceries and daily essentials as the coronavirus outbreak started and then escalated, a study by market research firm Kantar revealed....Read More

OCEAN HEALTH INFLUENCES CONSUMERS’ SEAFOOD CHOICES

According to recent research by consultancy firm Changing Tastes, most American consumers are worried about the effect of ocean health on fish and seafood, with a majority now concerned about heavy metals, plastic contamination and radiation in their fish and seafood, as well as the use of forced labor and antibiotics.....Read More

FMI CHANGES NAME, BECOMES THE FOOD INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION

FMI said the new identity, launched Tuesday, reflects its strategy to expand its representation of the food marketplace from its traditional membership of grocery and other food retailers include their suppliers and other business partners......Read More

WEIS, BROOKSHIRE’S GET MORE PERSONAL WITH ONLINE GROCERY

Weis Markets and Brookshire Grocery Co. have enlisted e-commerce specialist Mercatus to make online grocery shopping more relevant for their customers......Read More

THE BIGGEST TRENDS IN CENTER STORE IN 2019

Health & wellness, “clean” products and authentic flavors were the drivers behind sales growth in center store in 2019......Read More

LIDL TO OPEN FIRST LONG ISLAND STORES NEXT WEEK

Lidl US has moved up the timetable for the opening of its first Long Island, N.Y., stores from its acquisition of metropolitan New York grocer Best Market. Lidl said Monday that it plans to open stores in Center Moriches and West Babylon on Dec. 11. A brand-new store,.....Read More

SHOPPERS WOULD GO LOCAL FOR SAME-DAY DELIVERY

Though Amazon has raised customer service expectations in online retail, shoppers would order from local stores if they could provide same-day delivery, a survey from last-mile delivery.....Read More

SUPERMARKET CAFÉS ACCUSED OF HAVING ‘IRRESPONSIBLE’ CHILDREN’S MENUS

A number of supermarket cafe chains including Marks & Spencer and Tesco are serving children unhealthy and unsustainable meals, according to a nationwide analysis......Read More

HOW BRANDS CAN MAKE THEIR WAY INTO SHOPPERS’ CHRISTMAS DINNER PLANS

Christmas. A time of year when shopper demand is at its highest. Prices hit rock-bottom and the nation’s heartstrings are pulled by the much-anticipated Christmas adverts (and we enjoy debating which retailers got it right and which got it horribly wrong)......Read More

   

More NRIgrocery News....Clivck Here

TAKE CARE OF YOUR NRI COMMUNITY

In order to survive and thrive in any Business

you must master the art of networking

 

Gold Member's Web Links