Less than a year after the completion of the $77 billion acquisition of Aetna, CVS Health shows every sign of being on course to achieve its stated objective of transforming the consumer health care experience in America. Evidence of the swift progress in integrating the two companies and the positive response to the initial steps
As online shopping becomes more frictionless and ubiquitous, retailers with brick-and-mortar outlets need to pay more attention to the kinds of products they put in them. What do people still want to buy in a store these days? Two recent studies suggest some answers. One of these is the latest Global Market Development Center (GMDC)|Retail
Consumers have made it clear that they are looking for more local and specialty products in their neighborhood supermarkets. This is the most recent, and perhaps most pronounced, phase in the evolution of consumer tastes and preferences, a trend that started reshaping supermarket inventories nearly 20 years ago. In response to this emerging trend, more
The confluence of bricks and clicks continues to grow as physical retailers buy and code their way to a stronger online presence and digital retailers buy and build their way to a stronger physical presence. E-retailers like Amazon and Alibaba may capture the majority of the headlines in the press, but the ultimate winners in
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Hy-Vee Inc. has begun offering apparel and accessories under the Joe Fresh brand, marketed in Canada by Loblaw Cos. The assortments are available at selected stores in seven Midwest markets, and offerings vary by store. The assortments include Joe Fresh apparel, accessories, footwear and beauty products for women, men, children
NEW YORK — Food retailers continue to bolster their grocery pickup and delivery capabilities as a growing proportion of shoppers buy at least some of their food online. Kroger Co., Walmart, Giant Food, Wakefern Food Corp. and Weis Markets Inc. were among the food retailers announcing grocery fulfillment-related developments in July. Kroger chief executive officer
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart is merging its store and digital supply chain teams in the United States. The retailer says the move is a next step in its effort to create a seamless omnichannel shopping experience for its customers. Greg Smith, executive vice president of supply chain at Walmart U.S., will lead the combined team,
BATAVIA, Ill. — Aldi has store grand openings planned in a half-dozen states as the grocer proceeds with a coast-to-coast expansion that by 2022 will take its store count to 2,500 in 36 states, from about 1,900 today. Aldi’s website identifies cities in Alabama, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Texas where new and remodeled stores
SEATTLE — Amazon reported strong sales for its fiscal quarter and said its Prime Day sale last month was the biggest shopping event in the company’s history, topping its combined sales for last year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday. At the same time, the company faces the threat of increased regulatory scrutiny. The Department of
MEMPHIS — Discount retailer Fred’s Inc. continues its retrenchment, announcing last month that it was closing another 129 stores, leaving it with 80 centered on its distribution center in Dublin, Ga. The move is the latest in a series of store closings (including announcements in April and May) from Fred’s, which had 568 stores in
MINNEAPOLIS — Target Corp. has named Hari Govind senior vice president of infrastructure and operations for the company’s technology team. Govind’s responsibilities will include overseeing cloud-and-compute capabilities, network connectivity and operations for the technology that powers Target’s stores, digital channels, distribution centers and office locations. He will report to Target executive vice president and chief
CARLISLE, Pa. — GIANT Food Stores has celebrated some significant milestones with ribbon-cuttings recently. Last month GIANT president Nicholas Bertram joined store manager Tim Dinsmore and other dignitaries for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 100th store offering the GIANT DIRECT online grocery delivery service. Then on August 2 the company was scheduled to open its