Instacart adds 30-minute grocery delivery in select locations
Instacart recently announced a new “Priority Delivery” option available across more than 300 stores in 15 of the largest US cities that provides delivery in as fast as 30 minutes. The service is available from participating stores including Sprouts Farmers Market, Safeway and Ralph’s in cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, San Diego, San Francisco […]
Weis upgrades stores in the Lehigh Valley, plans for $135M in CapEx
Weis Markets recently replaced two stores in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley with new, larger supermarkets. A 63,000 square foot store opened on May 13 at the Westgate Mall in Bethlehem where The Bon-Ton department store used to be, and a 68,000 square foot store opened on May 20 in Lower Macungie across the street from a […]
Giant’s Heirloom Market to open in former Strawbridge’s building
It was reported yesterday that Giant plans to open an Heirloom Market on the ground floor of the historic Strawbridge’s building on Market Street in Philadelphia. The 32,000 square foot store is slated to open before the end of the year. The section of the ground floor that the market will occupy is being purchased […]
Whole Foods to phase in Amazon’s palm-scanning payment service
Amazon announced last week that it plans to bring its palm-scanning Amazon One contactless payment system to Whole Foods Market, starting with eight stores in Seattle. With the technology, customers simply have their palms scanned to present their loyalty cards and provide payment. In addition to its use in stores, Amazon said the technology can […]
Kimco-Weingarten deal underscores the value of grocery-anchored centers
Kimco Realty and Weingarten Realty Investors announced last week that Kimco plans to purchase Weingarten for $3.87 billion. The result of the transaction will be a combined national portfolio that includes 559 open-air grocery-anchored shopping centers and mixed-use developments that encompass about 100 million square feet of gross leasable area (GLA). Both companies expect the […]
CVS steps up in-store food offerings
CVS announced that it has significantly expanded its offerings in the frozen food and prepared foods categories. Select stores now carry an increased assortment of brands from Beyond Meat, Bird’s Eye, Ore-Ida and Amy’s Kitchen. In addition, fresh prepared foods and other refrigerated grab-and-go options are available in select stores. CVS said that more than […]
Alternative grocery sales surpass supermarket sales
Alternative grocers like Amazon/Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, Aldi, warehouse clubs, dollar stores and pharmacies now comprise a majority of U.S. grocery sales. As a result, supermarkets are no longer the primary grocery store for a majority of Americans, according to a Supermarket News article by Scott Moses, managing director and head of grocery, pharmacy and […]
Prickett Preserve, Wegmans approved in Lower Makefield
The Lower Makefield (Bucks County) Board of Supervisors voted earlier this month to approve the Prickett Preserve at Edgewood, a mixed-use development that will include Wegmans along with several retail and dining establishments, as well as public space and upscale residences. The development, a joint project by Equus Capital Partners, Envision Land Use and DeLuca […]
Grocers have spent $24 billion on pandemic-related expenses
Grocers have spent approximately $24 billion on pandemic related expenses since March 2020, including safety, workforce and technology investments, according to a report from FMI that was written about in Chain Store Age. The report is called Receipts from the Pandemic: Grocery Store Investments Amid COVID-19 and the Resulting Economics of an Essential Industry. FMI […]
Trader Joe’s hasn’t seen a pandemic sales surge
A cover story in the March/April issue of Produce Blueprints Magazine pointed out that although Trader Joe’s was “proactive and nimble ” in protecting its employees and customers during the pandemic, the company did not experience the same surge in sales as other grocery stores. Phil Lempert, a retail consultant for Supermarketguru.com, cited the number […]