Restaurant sales grew in August as supermarket sales fell

According to data released by market research firm M Science, sales at major grocery chains dropped in August, while restaurant sales grew, a clear indication that Americans are spending more of their income allocated for meals in restaurants as states relax Covid restrictions. Not surprisingly, more densely populated areas, which have had more stringent dining […]

Amazon Fresh coming to Philly digitally integrated supermarkets

According to a report by Natalie Kostelni in the Philadelphia Business Journal, Amazon has signed a lease for a new, 40,000 square foot grocery store in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia. The store is planned for the first floor of a 13-story apartment complex and includes underground parking. Rodin Development is proposing the new […]

First Amazon Fresh supermarket unveiled in CA

Amazon unveiled its Amazon Fresh supermarket at a new, 35,000 square foot store in Woodland Hills, CA late last month. The store – the first under the Amazon Fresh banner – isn’t open to the general public yet, but Amazon has been emailing thousands of local customers and inviting them to come in and shop. […]

Whole Foods opens online-only “dark store” in Brooklyn

Whole Foods opened its first online-only store earlier this month in Brooklyn, NY. According to parent-company Amazon, the “dark store” will fulfill delivery orders only and help Whole Foods better meet rising customer demand for grocery delivery service. It will exclusively service Brooklyn customers. The online-only store comes as Amazon / Whole Foods continues to […]

Walmart pilots drone delivery and adds Instacart in select markets

Walmart announced earlier this week that it launched a pilot program to provide grocery delivery by drone from a store in Fayetteville, NC. The nation’s largest retailer is now delivering select grocery and household items using Flytrex’s automated drones. The pilot program comes one week after Amazon was granted approval from the Federal Aviation Administration […]

Lidl and Aldi announce aggressive expansion plans

Lidl announced this week that it plans to open 50 new stores by the end of next year and will invest more than $500 million to do so. The company says new stores will open in the nine states it currently operates in – New Jersey (10 new stores), Maryland (10), Virginia (7), New York […]

DoorDash to offer on-demand grocery delivery

DoorDash, largely known for restaurant food delivery, announced yesterday that it is planning to launch DoorPass, a grocery delivery service. Customers will be able to place orders with participating retailers at DoorDash.com or via the mobile app, and have their groceries delivered directly to their homes in as soon as an hour. For a $9.99 […]

Lidl tops Hot 100 Retailers fastest growing list

For the second straight year, Lidl topped the National Retail Federation / Kantar 2020 Hot 100 Retailers list of the fastest-growing retail companies. The list ranks the nation’s fastest-growing retail companies based on increases in domestic sales between 2018 and 2019. In that time period Lidl’s sales grew 69% to $1.09 billion, and their store […]

Trader Joe’s opening in Cherry Hill

Trader Joe’s is scheduled to open tomorrow at Towne Place at Garden State Park in Cherry Hill, NJ. The 13,000 square foot store will be the 18th Trader Joe’s location in New Jersey. The store is adjacent to Shake Shack, which opened last Fall. Costco and Duluth Trading Co. are under construction. Towne Place at […]