EQUITY RETAIL BLOG

Aldi employees at MN store to vote on unionization

Aldi employees at a store in St. Paul, Minnesota will decide next month if they want to be represented by a union. A positive vote would result in the first unionized store in the U.S. for Aldi. Stay tuned…

A&P going local with store design and product mix

A new marketing strategy for A&P and its brands (including Pathmark and Super Fresh in the Philadelphia region) is emerging as the formerly bankrupt company tries to increase sales and profits. The new approach, which includes physical improvements and merchandise tailored to the stores’ locations, reflects an attempt to make each location “the supermarket of […]

Bed Bath & Beyond Buys Cost Plus

As reported on 5/9/12 by the Wall Street Journal, Bed Bath & Beyond acquired Cost Plus.   Wall Street Journal Article Cost Plus World Market Web Site

Traditional supermarkets lost stores in 2011, high-end grocers added stores

Supermarket powers Safeway, Kroger and Supervalu closed more traditional stores than they opened last year, while higher- and lower-end stores continued to add stores.   Safeway, which includes Genuardi’s in the Greater Philadelphia region, ended 2011 with 1,678 stores, a net decrease of 16 locations (22 closures and 6 openings). Kroger, the only chain of […]

SRO for "Wegmans... The Musical" in Boston suburb

About six months after Wegmans opened in Northborough, MA, which is about 40 miles east of Boston,  the town played host to “Wegmans… The Musical!” The show, written and performed by students at Algonquin Regional High School, opened last Thursday to a standing-room-only crowd of 900. It also closed, as it was a one-night-only production. […]

New Store Announcements (February, March, & April)

It’s been a while since I posted this list, but we have been tracking the store openings in the background.  Business has been crazy busy lately, but Melissa from my office has helped keep it accurate and up to date.  Many thanks to her.   It’s strange how things work out.  I have historically posted […]

Sears Holdings Sells 11 Stores to General Growth

Sears is selling 11 stores in Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Washington are being sold to General Growth which will raise between $400 and $500 million. Bloomberg Business Week Article

42 Best Buys Closing

Here’s the list of stores from Best Buy’s web site…. Best Buy Web Site List

Whole Foods reports "best results in history"

Last week Whole Foods Market reported another outstanding quarter, “producing the best results in our company’s 32-year history,” according to Co-CEO John Mackey. For the quarter ended April 8, 2012, Whole Foods reported a profit of $117.7 million, a 31% increase over the same quarter last year. They also reported the following: Sales up 14% […]

Weis posts strong earnings, Bottom Dollar exceeding expectations

Weis Markets said yesterday that improvements in store productivity and cost controls contributed to net earnings of $20 million for its fiscal first quarter, an increase of 7.7% compared to the same period last year. In addition, sales increased 0.3% to $661.6 million, and comparable store sales improved by almost 1%. On the other hand, […]