Actuaries at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have released their annual look at trends in U.S. health care spending. Published in the journal Health Affairs, the report contains a few bright spots, but the overall picture remains bleak. Total expenditures on health care increased 4.6% in 2018 to reach $3.6 trillion. While the
CINCINNATI — Kroger Co. is emphasizing its grocery heritage and its food bona fides with a new logo and a marketing campaign built around the slogan Fresh for Everyone. Food is also a key strength Kroger focused on during its investor conference earlier this month, during which company executives argued that the Restock Kroger initiative
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has promoted Kathryn McLay to lead Sam’s Club as the division’s new president and chief executive officer. McLay succeeds John Furner, who was elevated last month to the role of president and CEO of Walmart’s U.S. division. McLay’s promotion comes less than a year after she was named executive vice president
SEATTLE — Amazon has confirmed plans for a new grocery format under the Amazon brand that will debut next year in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. The format will be distinct from the company’s Whole Foods Market chain, according to published reports. The inaugural store will be larger than its Amazon Go convenience
CARLISLE, Pa. — GIANT Food Stores recently celebrated the grand openings of supermarkets in Quarryville, Columbia and Lebanon, Pa. The stores are former Musser’s Markets outlets in central Pennsylvania that GIANT agreed to acquire in August. All have been converted to the GIANT banner. The stores operate 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a
BOISE, Idaho — Albertsons Cos. is phasing out subscriptions for Plated meal kits that shoppers can purchase online and cook at home. The retailer said Plated is being transitioned into a “comprehensive in-house culinary brand” that will join its lineup of private label products. “Our vision for Plated includes an expanded set of products that
LOS ANGELES — Smart & Final Inc. has promoted Sean Mahony and Matt Reeve to senior vice president roles. Mahony, named senior vice president of store operations, began his career at Smart & Final almost 27 years ago as a store associate, working at night while attending college. Since 2015, he has served as group
NEW YORK — Stefano Pessina, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), was honored recently by the American-Italian Cancer Foundation (AICF), which presented him with the Alessandro di Montezemolo Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding career in health care. Among those honoring Pessina at the foundation’s Benefit Dinner and Auctions
Unlikely as it sounds, New York City is quickly emerging as a retail Mecca, the scene of much that is new and exciting and innovative in the retail marketplace. That’s right. New York — scene of hourly subway snafus, constant traffic snarls, mind-numbing construction on every street, and all manner of inconveniences and holdups —
At the beginning of the month, Kroger Co. unveiled a redesigned corporate logo intended to impart a contemporary look and feel to the supermarket operator’s iconic brand. Complemented by the tagline “Fresh for Everyone,” the new logo is the tip of the spear in a multimedia brand transformation campaign whose aim is to express Kroger’s
NEW YORK — With forecasts calling for strong holiday sales despite fewer shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, retailers are doing everything they can to convince consumers that their stores and websites are the ones to shop. Walmart kicked off the holiday deals at its stores earlier than ever this year, introducing special offers at
SEATTLE — Amazon is leveraging its large base of Prime members to seize a bigger share of the U.S. grocery market. The company this month announced plans to make free grocery delivery a benefit of Prime membership. Members in more than 20 major metro areas can get free two-hour grocery delivery after the company eliminated