NEW YORK — The holiday shopping season got off to a rousing start on Thanksgiving weekend, and early results show that omnichannel retailing and shopping has clearly come into its own. According to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation (NRF) by Prosper Insights & Analytics, a record 189.6 million Americans shopped from Thanksgiving
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Health recently announced that it has successfully completed the first year of combined operations following the acquisition of Aetna in late 2018. The combined company has met or exceeded its first-year integration goals while also introducing new, consumer-focused offerings as a result of its unmatched capabilities. CVS Health remains on track
CRYSTAL CITY, Va. — Discount grocer Lidl is acquiring six Shoppers Food & Pharmacy stores from United Natural Foods Inc. following an announcement that UNFI reached deals to sell 13 of its 43 Shoppers Food & Pharmacy stores to three grocery operators. Other Shoppers Food & Pharmacy stores in Maryland have been purchased in Waldorf
GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Dollar General Corp. announced earlier this month that it has begun selling about 20 CBD topical cosmetic products in approximately 1,100 stores in Tennessee and Kentucky. The company said it also plans to expand the products’ availability to seven more states (Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and Vermont) by spring
QUINCY, Mass. — Ahold Delhaize is testing its version of a “frictionless store” on both sides of the Atlantic. The concept allows customers to scan a debit card, take the items they want from store shelves and leave without going through a checkout. In the United States, the trial is being conducted at the offices
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — H-E-B said it is investing $200 million in Austin, Texas, over the next few years, building three stores and remodeling an existing location to keep pace with growth in Texas’ capital city. “This level of investment has been years in the making, and we are incredibly excited to deliver fresh, new
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens will open 14 UnitedHealthcare Medicare services centers in stores in five metropolitan areas as part of a multiyear agreement with the health insurance provider. “We are expanding access to UnitedHealthcare Medicare resources to better serve our members, providing them with all the valuable benefits they have come to expect from their
CINCINNATI — Kroger is opening delivery-only kitchens in partnership with Indianapolis-based ClusterTruck to prepare on-demand meals for delivery to customers, who won’t be charged delivery or service fees. The partners said the initial program — Kroger Delivery Kitchen Powered by ClusterTruck — is launching in Indianapolis; Columbus, Ohio; and Carmel, Ind. A similar service will
MINNEAPOLIS — Just in time for the holidays, Target has rolled out a service that promises to make its stores more accessible for blind or low-vision shoppers. The service, called Aira, is designed to connect blind and low-vision guests with trained agents who act as visual interpreters through an app, describing items on the shelf
LAKELAND, Fla. — Publix Super Markets Inc. opened its newest small-format GreenWise Market earlier this month in Lexington, S.C. It is the fourth GreenWise Market — and the second in South Carolina — to open since Publix unveiled the revised format last year as part of its strategy to reach a new generation of loyal
NEW YORK— Walmart continued its dominance among retailers in the 2019 Kantar U.S. PoweRanking report, taking the No. 1 position for the 23rd year in a row. Among brand manufacturers, PepsiCo Inc. took the top spot for the fourth year in a row. The PoweRanking survey originated from Kantar’s industry benchmarking studies on category management
On the day before Thanksgiving an acquaintance of ours wandered into a CVS drug store in Mendham, N.J. There, at the store’s entrance, was a display, a Disney Lionel train set. Price: $79.95. Our acquaintance, a longtime Lionel train buff, immediately snapped it up, took it home, assembled the track and, by 8:00 that night,