EQUITY RETAIL BLOG

Wegmans planning two stores near Richmond, VA

Last week Wegmans confirmed the rumors that it would open stores in the Richmond, VA market. According to Senior Vice President Ralph Uttaro, “We have had countless requests to open a Wegmans store in the Richmond area, so we are delighted to finally announce that we’re headed there.” Wegmans, which typically ranges in size from 120,000 – […]

Weis Markets investing over $100 million in growth

Weis Markets announced its third quarter earnings recently, which were highlighted by a 1.2% increase in net income to $17.2 million. The company also said it would continue to increase its focus on “maximizing efficiency by driving millions of dollars of cost out of the system while maintaining high standards for store service.” President and […]

Family Dollar to close 370 stores, slow growth and layoff workers

Family Dollar announced earlier this month that it plans to close 370 of its 8,100 stores in the second half of the year, and to slow down store growth to about 400 per year, starting next year. The company also said it would try to boost traffic by cutting prices on about 1,000 items, and […]

First PriceRite supermarket in New Jersey opens in Garfield

The first PriceRite supermarket not owned by Wakefern is also the first PriceRite in the state of New Jersey, according to a story on NewJersey.com last week. The 41,000 square foot store is in Garfield and owned by a division of Inserra Supermarkets, which owns 22 ShopRites in New Jersey and New York. Wakefern operates […]

Lidl, Aldi's biggest competitor in Europe, to open U.S. stores

German discount supermarket chain Lidl, which has over 10,000 stores across Europe and is Aldi’s biggest competitor there, confirmed plans earlier this month for an American rollout. Klaus Gehrig, CEO of Lidl parent Schwartz Group, said that U.S. expansion was “in full swing” and that an office has been established in Arlington, VA. The company […]

Family Dollar Closing 370 Stores

“Family Dollar, a juggernaut of expansion in recent years, has announced plans to close 370 of its 8,100 stores in the second half of 2014 and slow its new store growth beginning in 2015 to 350-400 new stores per year, down from 525 new stores in fiscal 2014.” ICSC.org Article

Mrs. Green's opens 19th store, eyes 40 stores within a year

Mrs. Green’s Natural Market announced plans for major expansion last month, as the organic and natural food chain intends to open at least 20 new stores this year in the Northeast, Midwest and Canada. The growth plans are dramatic, considering the company opened its 19th store last month (in West Windsor, NJ). Store number 20 […]

Supermarkets among top retail chains in the world

A report published by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and Stores Magazine last month claims that 32 of the 100 largest retail chains in the world are supermarket chains. And in the U.S., 20% of the retail chains on the top 100 list are supermarkets. The list includes the following grocery chains: Kroger – #5 Safeway – […]

Family Dollar adding 400 food items to its grocery section

Family Dollar reported last week that it plans to add more than 400 new food items to its grocery section and reduce prices on 1,000 other items as it seeks to increase store traffic and sales. Family Dollar currently operates about 8,100 stores, and customers across the country (like myself) still think the following dollar store dialog is funny: […]

Foodservice leads convenience store sales to record highs

Last week the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) reported that U.S. convenience stores had record in-store sales in 2013, with sales reaching $204 billion. The total represents a 2.4% increase over 2012. According to the NACS report, sales in 2013 were led by continued growth in foodservice, driven by prepared foods and commissary, as consumers […]