Sam Martin has “embedded a strong burning imperative” at A&P
I stumbled on a blog at Forbes.com by George Bradt called “The New Leaders Playbook.” The March 16 blog entry below is the result of Bradt’s interview with A&P CEO Sam Martin and the process Martin is going through to turn around the troubled grocer. Among other things, the author credits Martin with successfully accomplishing […]
Walmart to break ground on small stores
According to Bloomberg, Walmart will begin construction next week on a 14,400 square foot store in Gentry, Arkansas (20 miles from its headquarters). Work on two similar stores in Arkansas will begin in the next two weeks, and Walmart may open as many as 40 smaller stores this year in rural and urban areas. The […]
“Grocery is the next frontier” for malls
The following article from Bloomberg is one of many recent stories to report that malls are adding grocery stores in an effort to lure back shoppers. Younger readers (and this graying blogger) may not recall that, as the article points out, supermarkets were once tenants in many American shopping centers. However, they fled to cheaper […]
CNBC highlights the supermarket business in 60-minute TV special
In late January CNBC aired “Supermarkets Inc.,” a stat-filled, behind-the-scenes, 60-minute special on the $550 billion industry that is the American supermarket. (I watched it last night, thanks to TIVO!) The show spent a considerable amount of time at a Giant Eagle Market District store outside of Pittsburgh, which, at 150,000 square feet and with […]
Big boxes don’t want to be so big anymore
The Wall Street Journal article below reports on a number of traditional big box stores that are shifting to smaller stores, and in many cases, finding other products or businesses to take some of their space. For instance: A Rockford, IL dental clinic rented space in two area Kmarts last year; Sears rented 34,000 […]
Giant parent, Ahold, to be a player in the U.S. acquisitions market
The story below from Supermarket News amounts to Ahold (Giant) serving notice that it plans to be a bigger player in the United States in the next few years. ‘Things Are Happening’ in Acquisitions Market: Ahold
Blackstone to buy Centro’s 588 U.S. shopping centers
The Wall Street Journal story below outlines the $9.4 billion deal that will transfer ownership of 588 shopping centers from Centro Properties Group to Blackstone Group. Blackstone wins bidding for Centro’s U.S. assets
Target Sets More Food Expansion
Target announced yesterday that it plans to add its “Pfresh” grocery section to 380 more stores this year. In 2010, Target added 341 grocery sections to its stores. The company also announced plans to open its first small urban format – “City Target” – in 2012 in Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. Here’s […]
A&P Seeks To Reward Employees with $6.8M Incentive Plan
A&P wants to retain key employees while it operates under chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, so, pending the court’s permission, it plans to reward its 146 salaried employees with up to $6.8 million (approx $46,500 per employee). This plan is sure to make headlines, as initial public reaction will be negative. But the fact of the […]
Walmart, Target, 800 pound gorillas and traditional grocers
According to a report published by the Gerson Lehrman Group, we will see a dramatic decline in the number of traditional grocers over the next 5-10 years, in large part due to the continued market share growth of Walmart and Target. The report states that Walmart currently owns 33% of the grocery channel, and in 10 […]