EQUITY RETAIL BLOG

Equity Retail Brokers Oversees Reboot of 1950s-Era Strafford Shopping Center

When Di Bruno Bros. opened at Strafford Shopping Center this past March, the excitement in surrounding Wayne, Pennsylvania, was palpable. The beloved Italian marketplace—a visual as well as a culinary feast with an 80-year history in Philadelphia—was putting la dolce vita in easy reach for the whole community. And thanks to a multimillion-dollar shopping center renovation […]

Fresh Market voted nation's best supermarket in USA Today reader survey

The Fresh Market was named “best supermarket” by USA Today readers in a recent survey. The top 10 supermarkets were named after a panel of experts and contributors nominated US supermarkets based on value, selection and service, and then readers cast their votes over a 28-day period via the “10Best” website. The top 10 as […]

Instacart adds 30-minute grocery delivery in select locations

Instacart recently announced a new “Priority Delivery” option available across more than 300 stores in 15 of the largest US cities that provides delivery in as fast as 30 minutes. The service is available from participating stores including Sprouts Farmers Market, Safeway and Ralph’s in cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, San Diego, San Francisco […]

Weis upgrades stores in the Lehigh Valley, plans for $135M in CapEx

Weis Markets recently replaced two stores in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley with new, larger supermarkets. A 63,000 square foot store opened on May 13 at the Westgate Mall in Bethlehem where The Bon-Ton department store used to be, and a 68,000 square foot store opened on May 20 in Lower Macungie across the street from a […]

Tractor Supply is Winning Over Rural America

Thanks to several factors in and out of its control, Tractor Supply last week reported that first quarter net sales rose 42.5% to $2.79 billion. E-commerce sales “experienced triple-digit percentage growth for the fourth consecutive quarter,” according to a company press release. Store comps rose 38.6% (well above the 4.3% increase in the year-ago quarter), […]

Giant's Heirloom Market to open in former Strawbridge's building

It was reported yesterday that Giant plans to open an Heirloom Market on the ground floor of the historic Strawbridge’s building on Market Street in Philadelphia. The 32,000 square foot store is slated to open before the end of the year. The section of the ground floor that the market will occupy is being purchased […]

Did Retailers Miss the Signs?

As suburban populations grew over the past decade, retailers consistently ignored the trend in favor of cities. In 2020, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States sparked much talk of an “urban exodus” in which white-collar workers – freed from being tethered to physical offices by the rise of permanent work-from-home arrangements […]

Whole Foods to phase in Amazon's palm-scanning payment service

Amazon announced last week that it plans to bring its palm-scanning Amazon One contactless payment system to Whole Foods Market, starting with eight stores in Seattle. With the technology, customers simply have their palms scanned to present their loyalty cards and provide payment. In addition to its use in stores, Amazon said the technology can […]

Kimco-Weingarten deal underscores the value of grocery-anchored centers

Kimco Realty and Weingarten Realty Investors announced last week that Kimco plans to purchase Weingarten for $3.87 billion. The result of the transaction will be a combined national portfolio that includes 559 open-air grocery-anchored shopping centers and mixed-use developments that encompass about 100 million square feet of gross leasable area (GLA). Both companies expect the […]

CVS steps up in-store food offerings

CVS announced that it has significantly expanded its offerings in the frozen food and prepared foods categories. Select stores now carry an increased assortment of brands from Beyond Meat, Bird’s Eye, Ore-Ida and Amy’s Kitchen. In addition, fresh prepared foods and other refrigerated grab-and-go options are available in select stores. CVS said that more than […]