EQUITY RETAIL BLOG

Wawa opens first Florida store

The first Wawa in the state of Florida opened last week in Orlando, and as many as 100 may open in the state over the next five years. For now, residents of Orlando can expect a new Wawa every week for the next five weeks. A store in Tampa is slated to open next year, […]

Supervalu shareholder mad about CEO's bonus, threatens lawsuit

A Supervalu shareholder with about 45,000 shares asked CEO Craig Herkert, who accepted a $950,000 bonus but whose company is eliminating its dividend and reeling from poor performance, to show his commitment to stakeholders by cutting his salary to $1 for the next two years. Herkert declined, and the shareholder said a class-action lawsuit for […]

Aldi ad campaign to focus on "truths" of no-frills grocery shopping

“Loyalty shouldn’t require a card.” “You can’t eat frills, so why pay for them?” “The same is always better when it costs less.” According to Aldi, these advertising slogans are “Aldi Truths,” and part of the company’s campaign that explains some of the advantages of shopping at a no-frills grocery store.

A&P to shift accounting work to India

A&P (Super Fresh, Pathmark) announced last week that it plans to outsource certain accounting functions to India. The company expects the transition will be completed by February 2013. No word yet on how many employees will be impacted.

The end may be near for Supervalu, Acme

Yesterday the board of directors for Minneapolis-based Supervalu (Acme, Save-A-Lot) said they are considering the sale of all or parts of the company, and will significantly cut expenses and capital spending. The announcement came after Supervalu’s financial results for its most recent quarter fell below expectations. The company’s net earnings of $41 million were down […]

Genuardi's... and then there were 4

Five Genuardi’s stores transitioned to Giant last week and 10 more will transition later this month. Three stores reopened as Weis supermarkets last month, and one will be a McCaffrey’s within a couple weeks. For those (like me) keeping score, that leaves five open and operating. Next month it’ll be down to four. The Cherry […]

Valu King to compete with Bottom Dollar in Pittsburgh

Giant Eagle, the Pittsburgh, PA-based supermarket, said on Monday its discount grocery brand Valu King will expand into the Pittsburgh market. According to the company’s website, Valu King has four stores in Ohio and three in Pennsylvania. The PA stores are in Johnstown and Erie (2). Bottom Dollar, a Delhaize brand that currently has 27 […]

Occupancy and rents are up at shopping centers

Good news from Reis, Inc., a research company that tracks shopping centers. In the three months ending June 30, occupied space rose by a net 2.06 million square feet, the third largest addition since the first quarter of 2008. Shopping center vacancies dropped for a second consecutive quarter. Vacancies are now at 10.8%, down from […]

Led by Whole Foods, food retailers ahead of Dow Jones pace

Supermarket News tracks the stock prices of food retailers, and they reported last Friday that Whole Foods Market was the industry leader for the first half of the year with a 37.69% gain in price. The Fresh Market, a similar store to Whole Foods in that it’s a high-end market, was next with a 34.41% […]

2012 Top 100 Retailers

Great list from Stores’ web site.  Check it out.   Stores.org Article