July 11, 2016 by MMR
2016 U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends, Food Marketing Institute, president and chief executive officer Leslie Sarasin, supermarkets
2016, Issue 07-11-2016, Issues
CHICAGO — More Americans than ever are shopping for food, and supermarkets are among shoppers’ most trusted allies when it comes to food safety and health and wellness. These two encouraging trends for food retailers were identified by Food Marketing Institute president and chief executive officer Leslie Sarasin in her presentation of the institute’s “2016
July 11, 2016 by MMR
American Express, Citigroup Inc., Costco membership cards, Costco Wholesale Corp., Sam's Club, Visa card
2016, Issue 07-11-2016, Issues
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Costco Wholesale Corp.’s loss has been Sam’s Club’s gain. With Costco customers frustrated by problems with the Washington-based chain’s new Visa card, Sam’s accepted Costco membership cards through July 4. Sam’s action came after many Costco customers never received the Visa card from Citigroup Inc. that was supposed to replace their American
July 11, 2016 by MMR
annual ranking, Kantar Retail, National Retail Federation, U.S. retailers
2016, Issue 07-11-2016, Issues
WASHINGTON — The nation’s largest retailers have collectively held their top spots thanks to one common denominator: rethinking merchandise offerings while enhancing their omnichannel efforts. This is one of the findings from an annual ranking of U.S. retailers by domestic sales compiled by the National Retail Federation and Kantar Retail. According to the findings, retail’s
July 11, 2016 by MMR
paperless coupon program, Walgreens, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.
2016, Issue 07-11-2016, Issues
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens, the biggest component of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., has added new features to its paperless coupon program, which first appeared in 2014. The company also announced that since the program’s debut more than 135 million coupons from Walgreens and manufacturers have been virtually “clipped” and there has been a continual increase
July 11, 2016 by MMR
Amazon.com Inc., Prime Day
2016, Issue 07-11-2016, Issues
NEW YORK — Amazon.com Inc. has scheduled its second annual Prime Day — the online retailer’s version of Black Friday for its Prime members — for July 12. The one-day promotional event, offering numerous discounts, is exclusively for members of the Amazon Prime loyalty program. According to the company, the first Prime Day, which occurred
July 11, 2016 by MMR
Food Lion, mobile payments
2016, Issue 07-11-2016, Issues
SALISBURY, N.C. — Food Lion announced it would start accepting mobile payments at its nearly 1,100 grocery stores. The retailer said customers using Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay could pay for purchases using their mobile devices. The technology helps Food Lion make customers’ shopping experiences quick and easy, the company said in a
July 11, 2016 by MMR
chief executive officer, David Cheesewright, Dirk Van den Berghe, Lee Tappenden, Walmart Canada, Walmart International
2016, Issue 07-11-2016, Issues
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — Walmart Canada veteran Lee Tappenden will become the company’s new chief executive officer, effective August 15. He joined Walmart Canada in 2010 and has held several senior positions since then. Tappenden currently is chief operations officer. He will succeed Dirk Van den Berghe, who assumed the role in August 2014. Before joining
July 11, 2016 by David Pinto
chain drug store business, David Pinto
2016, Issue 07-11-2016, Issues, Opinion

The new year is quickly becoming the old year. In other words, 2016 is halfway done. Depending on your point of view, 2016 has thus far been a year of little consequence or momentous happenings. Let’s take the latter view and assume that the current year has been one of serious and lasting change, especially
July 11, 2016 by Jeffrey Woldt
Jeffrey Woldt, macroeconomic trends, mass retail
2016, Issue 07-11-2016, Issues, Opinion

Retailers would do well to pay more attention to macroeconomic trends and work to push them in a direction that is conducive to their business. The International Monetary Fund’s annual assessment of the U.S. economy, which was released last month, includes some findings that raise troubling questions about the long-term health of the mass market.