BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart entered 2024 moving simultaneously on several fronts to advance its transformation into a new kind of retailer — indeed, a new kind of business enterprise. At the same time, the company is re-emphasizing the importance of its retail roots with plans to resume opening stores in the United States. At a
ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Costco Wholesale Corp. said chief financial officer Richard Galanti intends to step down from that role, effective March 15. Gary Millerchip, who has served as senior vice president and CFO at Kroger Co., will succeed Galanti as Costco CFO. Galanti will remain with Costco through January 2025, serving in an advisory role,
MARCO ISLAND, Fla. — After more than a decade of leadership, Randy Edeker, executive chairman of Hy-Vee’s board of directors, believes that a chief executive officer should be a driver of change. Since taking the reins in 2012, Edeker has been the catalyst in equipping the supermarket chain to continuously adapt to a dynamic market.
DENVER — Colorado attorney general Phil Weiser has filed a lawsuit aiming to block Kroger’s planned $25 billion merger with Albertsons Cos., arguing that the deal “would lead to stores closing, higher prices, fewer jobs, worse customer service and less resilient supply chains.” Kroger and Albertsons responded in a joint statement that they were “disappointed
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) has bolstered its top management with the appointments of a U.S. Healthcare segment leader, a permanent chief financial officer and a human resources chief. Mary Langowski was named president of U.S. Healthcare, Manmohan Mahajan was appointed global CFO, and Elizabeth Burger was named chief human resources officer. The
GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Dollar General has reached a milestone in the addition of fresh fruits and vegetables to its stores. More than 5,000 of its locations now carry a produce assortment that includes tomatoes, onions, apples, strawberries, potatoes, sweet potatoes, lemons, limes and salad mixes. Dollar General said it now offers produce in more locations
BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. — A central message emerged at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Regional Chain Conference this month: NACDS is committed to winning on pivotal issues and charting the course for innovation that advances pharmacy and that benefits all Americans. Jackie Morse, Meijer Inc.’s group vice president of pharmacy and the conference’s
MINNEAPOLIS — Target this month introduced Dealworthy, a private label line of everyday essentials with prices starting at $1. The original lineup will be supplemented over the coming months and ultimately will include nearly 400 items spanning four categories: apparel and accessories; essentials and beauty; electronics; and home products. Most items will be priced under
SEATTLE — Amazon is introducing an AI assistant called Rufus into its mobile shopping app. The generative AI feature will be rolled out over the coming weeks. Users will activate the feature by speaking or typing questions into the mobile search bar, and Rufus will generate answers via a chat dialog box about products and
MARCO ISLAND, Fla. — During Leslie Sarasin’s tenure as president and chief executive officer of FMI – The Food Industry Association, the organization has consistently helped members bring into sharp focus the issues that matter most. FMI upheld that tradition at the recent Midwinter Executive Conference here by tackling the topic of artificial intelligence and
The economy delivered some bad news but mostly surprisingly good news for retailers last year. Consumer confidence was shaken by high inflation and the interest rate hikes intended to combat it, but consumer spending — and retail sales — remained remarkably robust. And as 2023 was drawing to a close, inflation was showing signs of
As noted elsewhere in this issue, artificial intelligence was front and center at last month’s FMI Midwinter Executive Conference. Anyone who only saw some of the keynote presentations at the event might have come to the conclusion that technology is crowding out other important priorities. Nothing could be further from the truth. In a conversation