EQUITY RETAIL BLOG

Union workers in PA reject Acme offer

This article from the Philadelphia Inquirer details the Pennsylvania union’s rejection of Acme’s plan to eliminate 300 positions through a buyout. A New Jersey union accepted a plan to eliminate 100 jobs through buyouts late last year. Unionized workers in Pennsylvania reject offer from Acme markets

Earnings reports, Wegmans, and speculation about Ahold buying some A&P stores

Many fourth quarter reports are in, including Delhaize (Bottom Dollar, Food Lion), Ahold (Giant) and Supervalu (Acme, Sav-A-Lot). Delhaize: Comparable sales fell 0.8% in the U.S. in Q4, an improvement over recent results and driven in part by strong sales at Hannaford Bros. For the year, comparable sales were down 2% in the U.S. Total […]

Man steals meat, then has a heart attack

Who drinks coffee with meat? I hope this guy is okay, and that he chooses a more appropriate refreshment (wine?) to steal with his meat next time. He also gave no thought to dessert. Safeway Meat Entices a Man to Steal, Suffer a Heart Attack

Big retailers fill more aisles with groceries

This story from The New York Times talks about the recent trend of retailers stocking a wide variety of groceries in an attempt to increase the frequency of trips consumers make to their stores. Early results show that it has been a successful strategy, and we will continue to see more of it, much to the […]

Independent grocery stores may soon be a thing of the past

I listened in on a conference call yesterday about supermarket consolidation. Meredith Adler, managing director at Barclays Capital, had lots of interesting stats (and I love stats… see Montgomery County, PA – the land of the Supermarket), including the following: 35,000 – number of food stores in the U.S. (not including drug and dollar stores) […]

Supervalu Challenged on 'Transformation'

Providing store managers with more authority is a step in the right direction, but Supervalu (Acme) has a long way to go. From the Supermarket News story below: “The loss for the 12-week quarter was $202 million, with sales down 5.9% to $8.7 billion, and identical-store sales in the retail food division falling 4.9%. For […]

Penny pinchers, big spenders hurt traditional grocery stores

This is a Chicago story, but the issues are the same nationwide. From the Chicago Tribune: Penny pinchers, big spenders hurt traditional grocery stores – chicagotribune.com

Acme closing five area stores

The middle class continues to erode. The middle class of supermarkets, that is. While mega stores Wegmans, Walmart and Costco expand, and space savers Aldi, Sav-A-Lot and Bottom Dollar attract more customers, 45,000 square foot stalwarts Acme, Super Fresh and Genuardi’s keep closing. The latest news is that Acme will close five area stores next […]

Retail outlook continues to improve, slowly but surely

This story in today’s Wall Street Journal reminds us that although the news of late has been good for retail, the recovery process is a slow and lengthy one. Retail Improves, but Doubts Persist By KRIS HUDSON U.S. malls and shopping centers continued their slow, fitful recovery from the recession in the fourth quarter, holding relatively steady in […]

Downgrades Hit Supervalu and Safeway Stocks

Downgrades Hit Grocery Stocks| Supervalu stock | Safeway stock | Kroger stock Stocks Off to Rocky Start After 2010 Growth The crystal ball is decidedly cloudy for supermarket stocks in the coming year, with the prospect of creeping inflation weighing against the possibility of improvement in employment and the economy. Against a backdrop of heavy […]