WASHINGTON — U.S. retail sales increased 0.5% in May (seasonally adjusted from April), and were up 3.2% unadjusted year over year, according to the National Retail Federation. May’s retail sales increases were broad based, with every category except food and beverage stores showing a gain from April, NRF said. The numbers exclude sales at automobile
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Just over two years after Walmart acquired Jet.com, the retailer is now taking steps to more fully integrate the e-commerce platform into its own business. As part of the planned changes, Simon Belsham’s role as Jet president will be eliminated, and Jet team leaders will now report to Kieran Shanahan, who has
LAKELAND, Fla. — Publix Super Markets Inc. has opened the second of its refashioned GreenWise Market stores, in Mount Pleasant, S.C. GreenWise Market is a specialty, natural and organics format featuring grab-and-go options, organic produce, indulgent gourmet treats, local and unique products, bulk items, body care offerings, and products made in- house, such as smoked
BOISE, Idaho — Albertsons Cos.’ Signature Select brand is amping up its presence across stores with the addition of more than 300 new products and updated branding in 2019. The redesigned products are longtime favorites from the Signature Kitchens, Signature Home, refreshe and The Snack Artist brands. Streamlining these products into Signature Select’s robust portfolio
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart in recent weeks announced the hiring of two technology executives, including Suresh Kumar, a former Google vice president who is set to become chief technology officer and chief development officer on July 8. Walmart also said it had hired Scott Eckert to run its investment arm and startup incubator known as
Walmart held the series of events that comprise its annual meeting earlier this month on its home turf in northwest Arkansas, and, according to a well-established pattern, the occasion afforded the company the opportunity to celebrate its accomplishments, recognize its workforce and look to the future. Walmart’s eminence as the world’s biggest retailer has long
Technology is not just changing the way people shop and buy. It also may be changing the way some of them steal, and the ways that retailers are fighting back. “We are seeing dramatic changes in the risks faced by retailers, and loss prevention practices and priorities are evolving to meet those challenges,” NRF vice
The retail landscape is rapidly evolving. Consumer expectations related to technology, novelty, convenience and experience are driving the movement. Those businesses that refuse to innovate are being met with dwindling profits and store closures. However, many stores are taking informed leaps of faith and trying out new store formats, services and displays. While not everything
This past January at the Specialty Food Association’s (SFA’s) Winter Fancy Food Show, three of our members were offering innovative products derived from insect protein. Yes, you read that correctly. Crickets, to be exact. Hard as it may be for the average American to believe, there’s a nascent movement taking hold, featuring insects as the
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has introduced free next-day deliveries to shoppers in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Southern California, and the retailer said the service would reach approximately 75% of the U.S. population this year, including 40 of the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas. Walmart’s May 14 announcement came three weeks after Amazon said it intends
WASHINGTON — Pharmacy organizations have decried the government’s refusal to reform direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees in its new drug pricing rule. “We are disappointed and frustrated that this final rule fails to finalize pharmacy DIR reform as proposed, to the detriment of seniors and community pharmacies,” said a statement from the National Association
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Pharmacy recently launched Tested to Be Trusted, a program requiring third-party testing of all vitamins and supplements sold in-store and online to confirm the accuracy of the dietary ingredients list on the supplement facts panel and to confirm that products are free from certain additives and ingredients. 1,400 vitamins and supplements