Walmart testing self-driving cars and robots
Walmart’s vice president of digital operations said late last month that the company plans to pilot an online grocery service with self-driving cars that pick up customers at their homes and take them to the store to collect their orders. Walmart plans to test the service in Chandler, AZ with Waymo, formerly Google’s self-driving car […]
Amazon launches 30-minute curbside pickup at Whole Foods
Amazon announced earlier this month that it has launched a new curbside pickup service for Amazon Prime members at select Whole Foods stores. The service is currently available in Sacramento, CA and Virginia Beach, VA, and Amazon plans to expand it to other cities later this year. Through the service, customers can place orders via […]
Weis Markets launching same-day delivery via Shipt
Weis Markets announced that it will rollout same-day delivery via Shipt beginning on September 6 in 11 markets throughout Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. Shipt, based in Alabama and owned by Target, said the rollout will give nearly 2.6 million households access to products delivered from Weis in as soon as one hour. The same-day service […]
Kroger partners with China e-commerce giant Alibaba
Kroger announced last week that it plans to test sales of its Simple Truth natural and organic brand through Alibaba, China’s largest e-commerce retailer. The move will give Alibaba’s 500+ million Chinese consumers access to Kroger’s Simple Truth brand. Kroger pointed out that the partnership supports its strategic plan to redefine the grocery customer experience […]
Two women visited all 97 Wegmans stores in one week
According to several news reports, two “Wegmaniacs” decided to spend their vacation time by visiting all 97 Wegmans stores in one week. Yes, two women traveled nearly 4,000 miles in six states doing nothing but driving to and from Wegmans. Apparently they documented their journey on Instagram. I don’t know the account name, and I’ve […]
Target posts best quarter in over a decade
Target announced this week that the company’s second quarter results were its strongest in more than a decade, fueled by a 6.5% same-store sales increase, as well as a 6.4% increase in customer traffic. Last year Target began implementation of a strategy that earmarked $7 billion to improve digital operations, expand private label collections, lower […]
Rite Aid calls off Albertsons deal
The planned merger between Albertsons and Rite Aid was called off earlier this month due to concerns that the drug store chain’s investors wouldn’t approve the deal. At issue was the $24 billion price, which many of the stockholders and third party advisory firms felt was insufficient. The deal was originally announced in February and […]
Giant opens new, improved store in Feasterville
Earlier this month Giant Food opened its new Feasterville, PA location. The new store is 66,000 square feet, approximately 25 percent larger than the store down the street that closed a day before the new Giant opened. The new location includes an expanded fresh produce department with more organic selections, fresh-squeezed juices, in-store cut fruit, […]
Study finds that most consumers still want to buy groceries in stores
According to a recent Forbes.com story, The Food Marketing Institute estimates that online grocery sales will reach $100 billion by 2025, or about 20% of the grocery retail market. Today it is estimated that 2.0% to 4.3% of industry sales originate online. Amazon currently leads the way in the online grocery market, with an 18% […]
Sam’s Club to open 32,000 SF store
Sam’s Club announced last month that it plans to open a smaller-format store centered on convenience and a digital experience, with the product selection focusing on consumables. The 32,000 square foot store is scheduled to open in Dallas this fall. Typical Sam’s Club warehouse stores are about 135,000 square feet, with many even larger. According […]