ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Amazon and Publix Super Markets Inc. lead the pack in customer satisfaction, according to the latest report from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The “ACSI Retail Report 2017” shows that the retail sector as a whole remains steady, with an ACSI score of 78.1, down slightly from an all-time high
NEW YORK — The planned merger of Rite Aid Corp. and Albertsons Cos. should strengthen both retailers by bringing together several complementary strengths. First and perhaps most obvious will be the enhanced financial scale of the combined company. With 4,892 stores nationwide, pro forma annual revenue is projected to total around $83 billion for 2018,
NEW YORK — Nearly half of U.S. consumers shopped for apparel at Amazon.com over the past 12 months, according to a survey from Coresight Research, which concluded that Amazon is neck and neck with Target Corp. as the second-most-shopped apparel retailer in the United States (after Walmart), as measured by the number of shoppers. Much
The pending merger between Albertsons Cos. and Rite Aid, which was announced late last month after extensive negotiations, represents a major milestone for the companies involved and a potentially decisive turning point in the ongoing, if sometimes sporadic, effort by mass market retailers to more closely align nutrition, health and wellness in order to better
Retailers can expect no letup on competitive pressure in the year ahead. But as they continue to battle across formats and trade classes for market share, at least the economic pie they are fighting over appears likely to keep getting bigger. That is good news for retailers for a couple of reasons. On the political
NEW YORK — Helena Foulkes has taken the position of chief executive officer of Hudson’s Bay Co. (HBC), which operates the Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue department store chains. She joins HBC from CVS Health, where she worked for 25 years, most recently as corporate executive vice president and president of CVS Pharmacy,
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) is reportedly seeking to acquire drug distributor AmerisourceBergen Corp. The Wall Street Journal reported on February 13 that representatives of WBA executive vice chairman and chief executive officer Stefano Pessina made “a high-level outreach” to representatives of AmerisourceBergen CEO Steven Collis several weeks before the story came out.
CINCINNATI — Kroger Co. has agreed to sell its convenience store business to EG Group, a privately held c-store retailer based in Blackburn, Lancashire, United Kingdom. The transaction, which is valued at $1.25 billion, is expected to close during the first quarter of Kroger’s financial year, or by May 26. Kroger had announced last October
ARLINGTON, Va. — Two recent studies indicate that household penetration of online grocery shopping is picking up steam. One, a joint project of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Nielsen, projects that in five to seven years 70% of Americans will be grocery shopping online. Last year FMI and Nielsen issued their first-year findings, which
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Rick Gates has been named senior vice president of pharmacy and health care for Walgreens. Prior to his promotion, Gates was serving as group vice president of pharmacy. In his new role, Gates will oversee commercial development and sales, contracting, pharma development, pharmacy supply chain, and clinical programs and alliances. He reports
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has elected a new chairman — Brian Cornell, the chairman and chief executive officer of Target Corp. Cornell was elected at RILA’s board of directors’ semiannual meeting in Tucson, Ariz., last month. Serving a two-year term, Cornell takes the chairman’s reins from Bill Rhodes, chairman of
CINCINNATI — Kroger Co. has promoted Steve McKinney, who was previously president of Kroger’s Fry’s Food Stores division, to the post of senior vice president of retail divisions. Monica Garnes, who had been corporate vice president of produce-floral merchandising, will succeed McKinney as Fry’s division president. According to the company, the leadership changes support the