EQUITY RETAIL BLOG

What's He Doing? Videos from Rob

I am going to give something new a try.  There’s a lot going on in my world and Equity Retail Brokers’ world that some people never see.  Unless your are an existing client of mine or the company, people just don’t get to hear how I feel about certain topics and they don’t get to know some […]

Wal-Mart to Open a Store in Bethlehem, PA

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. already has two fulfillment centers in Bethlehem to support its e-commerce business. Now it wants its first brick-and-mortar store in the city. The retailer on Tuesday announced it is planning to build a supercenter in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park VII, at Route 412 and Commerce Center Boulevard in south Bethlehem. The 158,000-square-foot […]

Whole Foods 365 concept to include tea bar, vegan restaurant in Los Angeles

Whole Foods provided some details last month about their 365 small-store concept, describing it as a “quality-meets-value” interpretation of its traditional store “in an environment that’s fun and convenient for shoppers.” A 30,000 square foot store, set to open in Los Angeles later this month, will feature a self-service tea bar, a vegan fast-casual restaurant […]

Wegmans beats out Trader Joe's as nation's best grocer

For the first time in four years, Trader Joe’s wasn’t ranked as the nation’s best grocery chain. That honor recently went to Wegmans, which ranked ahead of Trader Joe’s and Publix in a survey of more than 10,000 consumers conducted by Market Force Information. Hy-Vee Food Stores ranked fourth, and Aldi was fifth. The top […]

Weis to increase cap-ex to $140 million

Weis Markets announced last month that it plans to increase capital spending by 33% this year to a record $140 million. The funds will cover the cost of three new stores, 20 remodels and technology investments. Last year’s capital spending totaled $92 million and covered 14 remodels and five Gas N’ Go centers. Weis operates […]

ShopRite opens in Glenolden, PA

ShopRite opened a state-of-the-art, 58,000 square foot store on MacDade Blvd. in Glenolden, PA last week. The store represents Collins Family Markets’ fifth ShopRite location. Overall, ShopRite now has 260 locations throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland.

Analyst says Aldi and Lidl to hurt small grocery operators

A Supermarket News story recently quoted an analyst who predicted that the “invasion” of Lidl into the U.S., combined with Aldi’s rapid expansion, will prove to be problematic for smaller operators and those focused on lower-income shoppers. The analyst did not think the two European powerhouses would have as devastating an effect on top U.S. […]

Sports Authority Closing All Stores

Philadelphia Business Journal Article Retail Dive Article Sports Authority closing all stores, drops reorganization bid Sports Authority, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month, has abandoned its reorganization effort and will instead sell its assets to a number of interested buyers. According to a Tuesday Wall Street Journal story, an attorney for the Englewood, […]

Case Study - Springfield Shopping Center

       THE CHALLENGE Springfield Shopping Center was originally anchored by a free-standing department store. The balance of the property is still comprised of a free-standing bar/restaurant and a “reverse, L-shaped” sizable strip of stores.  The center itself and its leasing were patiently waiting for a new anchor and renovation. The owner, Kimco, successfully secured Giant […]

Ahold's bfresh signs lease in Philadelphia neighborhood

Ahold confirmed last month that it signed a lease for its bfresh concept to occupy space on the ground floor of the Abbotts Square condos at 2nd and South Streets in Philadelphia’s Society Hill neighborhood. Fresh Formats, the concept that evolved into Ahold’s bfresh banner, has operated in Philadelphia since 2014, when it opened a […]