EQUITY RETAIL BLOG

Aldi succeeds in urban areas as Walmart struggles to gain access

The New York Times story below reports on Aldi’s success in the United States. The company has been able to move into urban areas with much success and seemingly no barriers (and non-union workers), while Walmart continues to face a wave of opposition from unions, politicians and residents alike. And the fact that the Aldi […]

Study: Third of Shoppers Shun C-Store Food

A “third of shoppers” haven’t been to Wawa. I bet if this study was limited to the Philadelphia region, the results would be much different. Wawa isn’t your average convenience store. How many times have you driven past a deli or supermarket to get a sandwich at Wawa? I do it all the time. As […]

Unions Warn of Potential A&P Strike

Labor unions are worried that A&P may seek bankruptcy court approval to reject labor contracts or lower wages and benefits without bargaining. So, in a message to union members, the union president said they may have no choice but to strike if that should happen. More details in the following Supermarket News story: Unions Warn […]

Shopping center executives remain optimistic, says ICSC survey

Earlier this month the International Council of Shopping Centers released the results of their February Shopping Center Executive Opinion Survey, which revealed that business conditions improved for the fourth-straight month.   The Business Barometer reached 55.3%, which was the second-highest month reported since April 2007. (A reading of 50% means industry conditions were relatively unchanged […]

Stop & Shop to buy 5 Foodtown stores in New Jersey

Stop & Shop and Foodtown said they have a tentative deal that will result in the sale of five New Jersey Foodtown stores, currently owned by Norkus Enterprises, to Stop & Shop later this spring. Stop & Shop is a division of Ahold, which also owns Giant. The Foodtown stores are in Freehold Township, Manalapan, […]

Boston neighborhood doesn't want Whole Foods

Whenever my friends and neighbors talk to me about vacant supermarkets, they inevitably ask if there’s a chance for a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. So, a story from the Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plains caught my eye. Although I don’t know the details, it’s clear that there is strong opposition to Whole Foods. Whole […]

Sam Martin has "embedded a strong burning imperative" at A&P

I stumbled on a blog at Forbes.com by George Bradt called “The New Leaders Playbook.” The March 16 blog entry below is the result of Bradt’s interview with A&P CEO Sam Martin and the process Martin is going through to turn around the troubled grocer. Among other things, the author credits Martin with successfully accomplishing […]

Walmart to break ground on small stores

According to Bloomberg, Walmart will begin construction next week on a 14,400 square foot store in Gentry, Arkansas (20 miles from its headquarters). Work on two similar stores in Arkansas will begin in the next two weeks, and Walmart may open as many as 40 smaller stores this year in rural and urban areas. The […]

"Grocery is the next frontier" for malls

The following article from Bloomberg is one of many recent stories to report that malls are adding grocery stores in an effort to lure back shoppers. Younger readers (and this graying blogger) may not recall that, as the article points out, supermarkets were once tenants in many American shopping centers. However, they fled to cheaper […]

CNBC highlights the supermarket business in 60-minute TV special

In late January CNBC aired “Supermarkets Inc.,” a stat-filled, behind-the-scenes, 60-minute special on the $550 billion industry that is the American supermarket. (I watched it last night, thanks to TIVO!) The show spent a considerable amount of time at a Giant Eagle Market District store outside of Pittsburgh, which, at 150,000 square feet and with […]