EQUITY RETAIL BLOG

Aldi is first major retailer to eliminate plastic shopping bags

Aldi reached its goal of eliminating all plastic shopping bags from its approximately 2,300 stores by the end of 2023, and at the same time became the first major U.S. retailer to do so. In a letter to customers, Aldi U.S. CEO Jason Hart said the removal of plastic bags will prevent nearly 4,400 tons […]

Wegmans to open small(ish) Yardley store in March

Wegmans announced that its Yardley, PA store, which will be part of the new Prickett Preserve development, will open on March 20. It’s the company’s second Bucks County location (Warrington), and at 88,000 square feet (SF), it’s smaller than many of its other supermarkets in the Greater Philadelphia market. Historically Wegmans stores were at least […]

Navigating the 2024 Interest Rate Landscape

The anticipation of interest rate cuts in the coming year has sparked considerable debate among investors, especially as the presidential campaign takes center stage. According to Kiplinger’s recent article, “Interest Rates Outlook: Future Decline in Short-Term Rates Complicated by Politics”, the Federal Reserve’s Summary of Economic Projections suggests the possibility of three rate cuts in […]

Digital grocery budgets to rise despite losses in 2023

U.S. digital grocery sales ended the year at approximately $121 billion, down from $128 billion in 2022, yet overall grocery sales increased 3.1% to $926 billion for the year, according to a report from Grocery Doppio as reported in Supermarket News. Despite the decrease in digital sales, executives remain optimistic and still plan to invest […]

Pennsylvania saw the nation's largest grocery price increases in the last year

A recent report from Consumer Affairs said that the state of Pennsylvania and city of Philadelphia had the highest grocery price increases in the country over the last year. At 8.2% and 7.4% respectively, the state and city saw increases significantly higher than the 5.3% national average. Consumer Affairs, a customer review and consumer news […]

Holiday Shopping Pulled In Two Directions

As the echoes of Black Friday weekend fade, the retail realm experiences a temporary lull, with shoppers regrouping and procrastinators feeling the pressure to check off their holiday shopping lists. In this dynamic post-Black Friday landscape, we explore the recent economic indicators, global market shifts, and the evolving relationship between online and in-store retail. Consumer […]

FTC to rule on Kroger-Albertsons merger by Dec 15

The Cincinnati Business Courier reported last week that Kroger told the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that it had met all the antitrust law requirements for its $24.6 billion merger with Albertsons. The FTC now has until December 15 to respond, at which time it can let the deal proceed, ask for more information, or take […]

Price Chopper purchases ShopRite's assets in upstate NY

Northeast supermarket chain Price Chopper/Market 32 announced yesterday that it finalized the purchase of the leases, store equipment and fixtures of the five ShopRite stores in the Albany, NY market that recently closed. Price Chopper intends to convert two stores to the Market 32 brand and sublease the location directly across from an existing Market […]

Retail Sales (The Week Before Thanksgiving)

This holiday season is pretty hard to predict. Even though there are a lot of signs that things might not be so hot, people are still spending money. We don’t know what will happen – will people run out of money before or after the holidays? Or will they just keep spending forever? Will they […]

Aldi, fastest-growing grocer in the U.S., named retailer of the year

Progressive Grocer, a leading publisher in the food retail business, named Aldi its Retailer of the Year, stating that shoppers seeking relief from high grocery prices – and seeking products not found anywhere else – have become obsessed with them. Furthermore, “the fastest-growing grocer in the country just added more fuel to the rocket ship” […]