NEW YORK — The battle for the future of the grocery business is under way as supermarket retailers invest in their digital capabilities and Amazon continues to roll out its brick-and-mortar food stores. Kroger Co. executives said during the company’s recent virtual investors conference that the company intends to double its digital business by 2023.
NEW YORK — U.S. retail sales grew by double-digits in March as the nation marked the anniversary of the first COVID-19 lockdowns. Mastercard SpendingPulse, which measures in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment, reported that U.S. retail sales (excluding automotive and gasoline) increased 26.3% year over year in March. Online sales grew
WESTBOROUGH, Mass. — Lee Delaney, president and chief executive officer of BJ’s Wholesale Club, died at age 48 of “presumed natural causes,” the company announced earlier this month. Christopher Baldwin, executive chairman of the board of directors, issued the following statement on behalf of the board: “We are shocked and profoundly saddened by the passing
MINNEAPOLIS — Earlier this month, Target Corp. said it plans to spend more than $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by the end of 2025, a pledge that includes the company’s promise to add products across its multi-category assortment from more than 500 Black-owned businesses and engage more Black-owned companies to enhance its retail operations and
ARLINGTON, Va. — Dr. Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration from 2017 to 2019, will be one of the featured speakers at the 2021 National Association of Chain Drug Stores Annual Meeting, to be held virtually April 26 to April 28. Jon Meacham, presidential historian and author, will be the other speaker.
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Raley’s has released its first annual Impact Report, highlighting actions taken in 2020 in support of its purpose of changing the way the world eats, one plate at a time. The report details Raley’s efforts and initiatives aimed at nourishing its purpose as well as people, communities and the planet. “Our
BRAMPTON, Ontario — Sarah Davis will retire as Loblaw Cos. president on May 6. Loblaw also announced that it was bringing back George Weston, scion of the Weston family that controls the company, as chairman and president. Weston will continue to serve as chairman and CEO of Loblaw’s parent company, George Weston Ltd. (GWL) He
GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Dollar General Corp. announced new assignments for eight of its executives, personnel moves that chief executive officer Todd Vasos said reflect the discount retailer’s commitment to promote from within. “We prioritize employee growth and development because it allows us to live our mission of serving others in the communities we call home,”
Walgreens has inoculated hundreds of thousands of Americans against COVID-19 this year using the vaccine developed by Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech. But the pharmacy chain has not been following guidance from federal health officials about the timing of second doses. — New York Times, April 6, 2021 It has become fashionable of late for the
A new report from FMI elucidates the journey that the nation’s supermarkets have been on for the past 12 months and sheds light on their prospects. Based on survey responses from 52 member companies, representing some 40% of the industry, “Receipts From the Pandemic” charts the effects of the disruption in the marketplace triggered by
With the accelerating rollout of vaccines offering reason to hope that the COVID-19 pandemic may soon end and allow life to return to normal again, the question is, what will normal look like? For retailers and their suppliers, that question is normally framed around whether or not consumers will snap back to their pre-2020 shopping
To meet consumer needs, retailers must go beyond functional over-specialization, freeing merchants to see a bigger picture. Consumers, we all know, want a frictionless experience across all touchpoints. They’re increasingly intolerant of out-of-stocks. They’ve become empowered, thanks to revolutions driven by digital technologies and the COVID-19 pandemic. Retailers, we all know, must become even more