WASHINGTON — After the devastation of this hurricane season it’s hard to find a silver lining, but there’s a glimmer in the latest sales report from the National Retail Federation (NRF) driven by increased demand for building supplies. Retail sales — excluding automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants — in September increased 0.5% over August on
MONTREAL — Just days after confirming talks about a potential deal, Metro Inc. and the Jean Coutu Group have agreed to merge. The acquisition of Coutu by Metro Inc. will establish a $16 billion food and drug retailer with 1,307 stores in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick. Metro has agreed to purchase Coutu for $24.50
CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid Corp.’s appointment of chain drug retailing veteran Kermit Crawford as president and chief operating officer has moved it beyond the shadow of its aborted acquisition by Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (WBA), say industry analysts. Crawford — who during a three-decade career at Walgreens rose to become executive vice president
MINNEAPOLIS — Supervalu Inc. has agreed to acquire Associated Grocers of Florida Inc. for $180 million. The purchase extends Supervalu’s operations in Florida and provides opportunities to bring its products and services to Associated Grocers’ diverse customer base in the Caribbean and other international markets. Additionally, Supervalu reached a long-term supply agreement with Associated Grocers’
CINCINNATI — Kroger Co. Central division president Katie Wolfram, a 38-year company veteran, is set to retire from her post effective November 4. Wolfram will be succeeded by Pam Matthews, who has been serving as president of Kroger’s QFC division president. And Suzy Monford, the former chief executive officer of Andronico’s Community Markets, has joined
As this issue of MMR was going to press, Walmart was widely reported to be in the midst of serious discussions with Lord & Taylor about bringing the department store operator’s merchandise offerings to walmart.com as part of a larger effort to counter the appeal of Amazon in the battle to win the hearts and
Retailers are speaking up about the contributions they make to the nation’s economy, in the hope that their needs will be taken into account when lawmakers rewrite the tax code. Earlier this month the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) released its “Grocery Industry Economic Impact” analysis, which quantifies the food retail industry’s annual economic impact. FMI’s
While many elements go into shoppers’ buying decisions, the factors that determine whether an item is put into the basket or back on the shelf go well beyond promotions, price and product placement. During the holidays, when retailers typically earn 40% or more of their annual revenue, it is critical to customize the shopping experience
NEW YORK — With disposable personal income climbing and consumer confidence up across the U.S., some organizations are forecasting that the holiday shopping season could bring robust sales for retailers to cap off what was a very rough year. Deloitte LLP said it expects retailers to see holiday sales growth of as much as 4.5%.
CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Gary Philbin has been named president and chief executive officer of Dollar Tree Inc. as part of a planned leadership succession. Bob Sasser, the company’s CEO since 2004, has assumed the role of executive chairman of the board. Sasser, 65, joined Dollar Tree in 1999 as chief operating officer. He was promoted
BOISE, Idaho — Albertsons Cos. is buying meal kit delivery company Plated, a vehicle for catering to consumers attracted to the convenience of having their meals delivered. “Today’s consumer is looking for a variety of personalized shopping alternatives, and this transaction is the latest example of Albertsons meeting our customers wherever and however they like
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) last month received clearance from the Federal Trade Commission to expand its business through the purchase of 1,932 Rite Aid stores for $4.38 billion. That’s fewer Rite Aid stores than it had sought to acquire, but the companies were forced to revise the deal a number of times