It’s clear that high inflation, which some overly optimistic economists had predicted would be a short-lived phenomenon, is now a persistent problem. Nowhere is the financial squeeze it causes more immediately evident to most Americans than at the supermarket. Leslie Sarasin, president and chief executive officer of FMI – The Food Industry Association, and Ricky
NEW YORK — At a time when changing expectations of consumers, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions and digital technology are causing long-held assumptions about business to be called into question, the National Retail Federation (NRF) is fortunate to have a leader focused on developing an effective response to those dynamics. John Furner, the
Walgreens Boots Alliance is off to a fast start on the transformational journey that chief executive officer Roz Brewer mapped out at the company’s investor conference last fall. Results for the first quarter of the fiscal year were impressive — sales rose 7.6% on a constant currency basis, while adjusted earnings per share increased 53%,
With the holiday selling season nearing an end, retailers are preparing to close the books on a calendar year characterized by major disruptions caused by COVID-19. Thanks to skillful executive leadership and the heroic efforts of frontline personnel, the nation’s food, drug and discount stores can look with satisfaction at a time when they fulfilled
The importance of the business community’s efforts to help ensure a sustainable future for the planet was thrown into stark relief by the decidedly mixed results coming out of the COP26 global climate change conference in Glasgow. The gathering was intended to secure commitments from the almost 200 nations in attendance that would stave off
Physician-administered primary care is shaping up as the next big battleground for pharmacy operators, insurers and other providers that want to revamp the nation’s health care system and, in the process, address chronic problems of access, quality and cost. Recent remarks by the leaders of CVS Health and Walgreens Boots Alliance portend the approaching fight
In the 72 years that FMI has issued “The Food Retailing Industry Speaks” report, the survey of retail and wholesale companies is unlikely to have uncovered such a confluence of promise and peril as it has today. With COVID-19 acting as the catalyst, the supermarket sector experienced unprecedented demand and buttressed its standing over the
ZAANDAM, Netherlands — Foresight and adaptability have been two distinguishing characteristics of Ahold Delhaize since its formation in 2016, and those qualities continued to serve the retailer well in the second quarter of fiscal 2021, as it negotiated COVID-induced market changes around the world. During the three months, net revenue reached €18.6 billion, up 3%
The essential nature of the services that Hy-Vee provides in eight Midwestern states was brought into sharp focus by COVID-19. The company deserves high marks for quickly and effectively adapting operations to ensure that customers continued to have access to food, medicine and other basics throughout the pandemic. The necessity of dealing with the formidable
Despite COVID-19’s dominance of the spotlight, environmental degradation has continued apace over the past 18 months. Climate change and other factors damaging the natural world have resulted in more frequent instances of severe storms, floods and wildfires. In response, mass market retailers and other businesses, with varying degrees of commitment and varying degrees of success,
As it rose to become the nation’s largest health care provider and fourth-biggest company of any kind, CVS Health benefitted from a clear, concise raison d’être: “Helping people on their path to better health.” Those eight words encapsulated the overarching objective of an organization with deep roots in community pharmacy, which over the past 15
Bed Bath & Beyond executive vice president and chief merchandising officer and Harmon Stores president Joe Hartsig spoke to MMR editor-in-chief Jeffrey Woldt about the company’s three-year revitalization plan. This is an excerpt of an interview that can be watched at massmarketretailers.com/category/videos. WOLDT: It’s Bed Bath & Beyond’s 50th anniversary at the same time that