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Issue 09-11-2017

Retailers offer help

NEW YORK — Hurricane Harvey brought record rainfall to Houston and flash floods across the Texas and Louisiana coastal region. The storm also elicited an outpouring of generosity from the retail ­community. Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer by sales, and the Walmart Foundation announced they had committed up to $20 million in support of relief

Walmart set to team up with Google

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal­mart and Google announced a new partnership that will enable voice shopping through Google Assistant, Google’s virtual assistant that resides on devices such as its smart speaker, Google Home. Consumers will now be able to utilize Walmart’s Easy Reorder feature through an integration with Google’s shopping service, Google Express. This will allow

Amazon is upping ante in grocery

SEATTLE — Amazon.com has moved quickly to transform Whole Foods Market, cutting prices on popular items by up to 43% in an effort to end the natural grocer’s “whole paycheck” reputation for expensive offerings. Amazon’s $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods closed on August 28, five days after the Federal Trade Commission approved the deal

Ahold Delhaize delivers on Better Together strategy

ZAANDAM, Netherlands — A year after the merger that brought Ahold Delhaize into being, the company shows every sign of delivering on the promise that led to the deal. Strong second quarter results, released last month, reflect an organization that is effectively leveraging its newfound scale to operate more efficiently, develop synergies and capitalize on

Fagen sells its stores to CVS Health

DEMOTTE, Ind. — CVS Health has purchased Fagen Pharmacy’s 20 drug stores in northwest Indiana and northeast Illinois. Terms were not disclosed. Plans call for eight of the stores to be rebannered as CVS Pharmacy by late September. The other 12 are slated to be closed, with their prescription files transferring to nearby CVS ­pharmacies.

Target names innovation chief

MINNEAPOLIS — Target Corp. has tapped Minsok Pak to serve as executive vice president and chief strategy and innovation officer. In that post Pak will oversee Target’s enterprise strategy development and retail ­innovation. “Minsok brings deep business acumen and proven leadership capabilities to Target,” commented Target chairman and chief executive officer Brian Cornell. “Throughout his

Hy-Vee moves to enhance brand

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Hy-Vee Inc. is adding a hamburger chain and fitness centers to its service mix at a number of locations through two strategic partnerships. The Midwest grocery chain announced it will build, own and operate 26 Wahlburgers restaurants, a hamburger chain popularized in a reality TV show. They also announced it

Smart & Final ‘doubling down’

COMMERCE, Calif. — Smart & Final Stores Inc. has introduced a new delivery platform powered by Instacart Inc. that sources groceries off the shelves of about 160 partner grocers and delivers the food to customers in more than 100 markets across the United States. Last month’s announcement represents an expanded partnership between Smart & Final

Retailers enter untested waters

Retailers enter untested waters

Suddenly, without warning, mass retailing is experiencing a transformation without precedent — or, at the least, without precedent in this century. Within the space of days, Amazon.com Inc. has purchased Whole Foods Market Inc., an alliance that brings together two of the most fascinating retailers currently vying for business in America, while Walmart has entered