EQUITY RETAIL BLOG

Online grocery sales pose no threat to supermarkets, says Moody's

Moody’s Investors Service said last week that it doesn’t think online grocers pose a significant threat to brick-and-mortar stores, pointing out that the online grocery sales accounted for only 0.5% of the overall grocery spend last year. The company believes online sales are not likely to grow to more than 1% to 1.5% of grocery […]

Wegmans opens in Montgomeryville, PA

Not surprisingly, the new Wegmans at the Montgomery Mall in Montgomeryville, which is part of Montgomery Township in Montgomery County (I couldn’t resist) opened to a big crowd last Sunday. According to The Reporter, more than 1,000 people were outside the store by 6:45am waiting for it to open. The 126,000 square foot store is open […]

Dollar General tops Walmart in pricing survey

Dollar General topped Kantar Retail’s annual opening price point survey for the second year in a row, narrowly beating Walmart. The survey “determines how select retailers meet the grocery and consumables needs of shoppers looking for the lowest shelf prices.” According to Kantar, Dollar General’s total basket was 12 cents less than Walmart’s. On the […]

Wakefern sales increase to $14.1 billion in fiscal 2013

Wakefern reported last week that retail sales reached $14.1 billion for the fiscal year ending September 28, 2013. The figure represents a 3.9% sales increase over the previous year. During fiscal 2013, the company added 10 new ShopRite stores, four PriceRite stores and one Fresh Grocer store. It also expanded its ShopRite from Home service […]

Could Weis Markets be Kroger's next acquisition?

An October 21 story on Cincinnati.com about Kroger’s growth plans specifically mentions A&P and Weis as possible acquisition targets for the nation’s largest supermarket chain. In the past year, Kroger executives have indicated a willingness to grow, potentially through more acquisitions. The company is about to close on a $2.5 billion purchase of Harris Teeter. […]

Bottom Dollar, Giant opening stores; Weis to close a store

New Bottom Dollar stores opened today in Ambler, PA and in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. These stores represent the 42nd and 43rd stores in the Greater Philadelphia Market. Bottom Dollar now operates 62 stores in PA, NJ and OH. The discount grocery chain, a subsidiary of Delhaize, is still not profitable. Giant Food is […]

Cerberus exploring a deal to takeover Safeway

According to a report from The Chicago Tribune, Cerberus Capital Management is exploring a deal for all or part of Safeway, the second-largest supermarket operator in the U.S. In addition, Supermarket News said this morning that according to a Reuters report, Safeway has engaged Goldman Sachs to explore a potential private equity takeover. Safeway, which exited […]

Save-A-Lot corporate stores benefiting from new meat departments

Supervalu reported last week that its limited-assortment Save-A-Lot chain is gaining momentum, as their roll-out of fresh-cut meat and improved produce presentation are favorably impacting the business. There were 215 corporate Save-A-Lot stores with a full meat-cutting program by the end of the second quarter, and all corporate stores expect to have the program by […]

Walmart to accelerate small format growth

Last week Walmart reported that it plans to accelerate the growth of its small-format stores – mostly Neighborhood Markets – and projected that they will open between 120 and 150 of them in fiscal 2015, compared to 120 in the current fiscal year. The company also said they plan to open 115 supercenters in the […]

Dollar General to test fuel station

Dollar General announced last week that it will “test pilot” a fuel station at one of their stores in Hanceville, AL. The test is a joint venture with Mansfield Oil, and the companies will jointly evaluate the results. According to Dollar General CEO Rick Dreiling, the project “is consistent with our strategy of continually looking […]