EQUITY RETAIL BLOG

Bed Bath & Beyond Still Growing & Increasing Sales

Good brief article on Bed, Bath & Beyond and their activity since 2008.  It provides history of store openings and their educated guess on this year’s count.   BBBY reported steady growth in its Q2 fiscal 2013 results despite the difficult retail environment. The company also raised its outlook for the entire year, which is […]

Costco to add 150 stores in five years

Since I just posted a story about how supermarkets have gained market share against warehouse clubs for grocery sales in the U.S. last year, and how the growth of warehouse clubs is slower than the growth of supermarkets, it makes perfect sense for me to now post a story on Costco’s aggressive growth plans. To […]

Report says supermarkets gained share on warehouse clubs last year

A study released last week by DSR Marketing System claimed that U.S. supermarkets gained market share against warehouse clubs (i.e. Costco, BJ’s) and superstores (i.e. Walmart, Target) in 2012. The study showed that supermarkets owned a 59.3% share of grocery sales, up 0.4% from 2011. At the same time, the share of grocery sales for […]

The Fresh Market posts sales, profit gains in Q1

The Fresh Market announced last week that it rebounded from a disappointing fourth quarter by posting strong sales, comps and profits in the company’s first quarter, which ended April 28. Sales for the quarter were $366.6 million, a 12.9% increase as compared to the same quarter one year ago. Comparable-store sales improved by 3%, and […]

Bi-Lo to buy three banners from Delhaize

Bi-Lo Holding, which operates Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie supermarket chains in eight southern states, announced yesterday that it has agreed to acquire Sweetbay, Harveys and Reid’s stores from Delhaize for $265 million. Delhaize owns Food Lion and Bottom Dollar Food, among others. According to a Supermarket News report, there are 165 stores included in the transaction […]

Cerberus reportedly looking at Harris Teeter

There were a number of reports last week speculating that Cerberus Capital Management may decide to expand its grocery business by bidding on existing supermarket chains. Cerberus led an investor group earlier this year in the purchase of several Supervalu banners, including Albertsons and Acme. Much of the recent speculation has focused on Harris Teeter, […]

The art and science of Wegmans from Supermarket News

I attended the Retail Brokers Network annual meeting in Las Vegas last Sunday, and in a breakout group focused on big box stores, Wegmans was mentioned. Then the meeting seemed to come to a halt. Those from the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic states started cooing about the store, saying that it was like no other supermarket […]

Delhaize considering sale of Sweetbay and Harveys

According to multiple reports today, Delhaize Group, which owns Food Lion and Bottom Dollar Food, has hired an investment bank to assist in the possible sale of its Sweetbay and Harveys brands in the U.S. Sweetbay, which is in Delhaize’s Hannaford division, operates 72 stores in Florida. Harveys is in the Food Lion division and […]

Walmart grocery comps rise as overall comps fall

Walmart announced yesterday that overall U.S. comparable-store sales, excluding fuel, for its fiscal first quarter were down by 1.2%. The company blames the decrease on smaller and slower-arriving tax returns, and unseasonable weather. Grocery sales were better than overall sales, as grocery comps were in the “low single-digits.” Similar comps were reported for the Neighborhood […]

Competitive grocery industry added 1,000 supermarkets in 2012

National brands like Walmart, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Aldi are adding stores, as are regional brands Giant, ShopRite and Wegmans. Last year saw the addition of approximately 1,000 supermarkets. “The grocery segment is always busy,” said Supermarket Site Analyst David J. Livingston in an interview with Shopping Centers Today. “Good, well-run grocers are immune […]