EQUITY RETAIL BLOG

Canadian private equity firm said to be leading bidder for Save-A-Lot

On Friday published reports indicated that Onex, a Toronto-based private equity firm, is the leading bidder to purchase Save-A-Lot from Supervalu. An auction is underway to find a buyer. Prior to the auction, Supervalu had planned to spin off the discount grocer into a publicly traded company controlled by Supervalu shareholders.

Albertsons banners - including Acme - to expand e-commerce

On the heels of a recent analyst report recommending that food retailers slow their e-commerce efforts, MyWebGrocer announced that several Albertsons banners – including Acme – plan to add “click-and-collect” and delivery service on its platform. Albertsons has used MyWebGrocer’s software since 2012 for online shopping lists and circulars. A report released earlier this month […]

Study concludes that food retailers should focus on families, not e-commerce or millennials

A study on food and beverage buying released earlier this month by Tabs Analytics concluded that food retailers should slow their investments in e-commerce and on millennials, and focus instead on old-fashioned promotional spending at stores and on marketing to households with children. The study included 1,000 geographically and demographically dispersed consumers between 18 and […]

64 Kmart Locations Closing...The List

Kmart is closing another 64 stores in the United States as the retailer continues to struggle with declining sales. The stores will begin liquidation sales on Sept. 22 and will close down by mid–December, a person familiar with the matter said late Monday. USA Today Article

Target adding grocery employees, pushing to boost food sales

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Target stores across the U.S. will soon have teams of employees working exclusively in their grocery sections. The change is part of a plan to improve the company’s grocery revenue, which currently accounts for about 20% of the retailer’s business. Last March Target announced it would cut […]

Whole Foods hoping to boost sales with coupons and loyalty program

With traffic and sales falling at Whole Foods due to competition from food retailers selling natural and organic products at lower prices, the company has started to offer discounts and began rolling out a customer loyalty program. The discounts come in the form of digital coupons available on the Whole Foods mobile app, and company […]

Lidl adds third U.S. distribution site

Lidl, which has been acquiring supermarket sites up and down the east coast for the last couple years, said last month it would build a regional distribution center in Cecil County, Maryland. The site will be the company’s third such center in the U.S. Lidl previously announced it would build warehouses in Fredericksburg, VA and […]

Dollar General acquires 41 Walmart Express stores

Dollar General announced this summer that it purchased 41 former Walmart Express stores and would relocate 40 existing stores to these sites this fall. Walmart Express was the small format concept that Walmart abandoned last year. At 12,000 – 16,000 square feet, they are significantly larger than traditional Dollar General stores, so the sites will […]

Aldi has risen to be a powerful, disruptive force

A story earlier this summer in Supermarket News reported on Aldi’s strategy and how the discount grocer is transforming itself into a serious competitor in the food retail industry. The author called Aldi a “powerful, perhaps underappreciated, disruptive force in a competitive marketplace.” Here are some examples of what Aldi has been doing.   Expanding […]

ShopRite opens new stores in Philly and Brookhaven, PA

Earlier this month ShopRite opened a 60,000 square foot store in South Philadelphia’s Whitman Plaza, replacing an older ShopRite about a mile away. The new store is in a former Pathmark location that Wakefern acquired during A&P’s bankruptcy auction last year. The renovated supermarket includes the standard grocery departments plus an in-store cafe, on-site dietition, […]