Costco announces new online grocery program
Last week Costco announced an expanded relationship with Instacart, and a new online shopping service called CostcoGrocery. Instacart, which is currently offered at 376 U.S. Costco stores, will gradually expand to additional locations over the next year. CostcoGrocery is a service that includes about 500 nonperishable dry grocery items and provides free delivery on orders […]
Albertsons to purchase meal-kit company Plated
Albertsons announced recently that it plans to acquire New York-based meal-kit company Plated, which has annual sales of over $100 million, according to a story in Supermarket News. The deal will allow Plated, which will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Albertsons, to operate well beyond its subscription model with new distribution points, including Albertsons […]
Lidl CEO reportedly concerned with U.S. performance
A German newspaper reported last week that the former CEO of Lidl Spain, Michael Arnada, would be appointed to a Lidl divisional board with oversight of the United States. According to the report, Arnada’s appointment is to address Lidl CEO Klaus Gehrig’s concern that the performance of Lid’s 37 operating stores has been weaker than […]
ShopRite tops in New Jersey with 139 stores
A story on NJ.com last month listed the 10 biggest supermarket chains (by number of stores) in New Jersey. Here’s the list. ShopRite – 139 storesAcme – 77Stop & Shop – 61Target – 44Aldi – 42Walmart – 29BJ’s Wholesale Club – 23Kings Food Market – 23Save-A-Lot – 22Key Food – 22 Stores in New Jersey […]
Whole Foods announces credit and debit card hack
Whole Foods announced on Friday that credit and debit card information of customers who bought meals or drinks at its in-store restaurants or bars was exposed to hackers. The company said that the data breach did not affect its main checkout registers or any Amazon.com shoppers. Whole Foods said it was investigating the breach.
Mom’s Organic Market opens in Center City Philly
Mom’s Organic Market opened in Center City Philadelphia last month. The store – at 34 South 11th Street – marks Mom’s first Philly store, and their third store in the PA/NJ/DE market (Bryn Mawr, PA and Cherry Hill, NJ). The new store features all-organic produce, an all-vegetarian in-store cafe, and even a recycling center for […]
Fresh Grocer not leaving UPenn site anytime soon
I reported in April about the kerfuffle in the University City section of Philadelphia between Fresh Grocer and UPenn (Fresh Grocer and UPenn in litigation over Acme deal). Well, the fight rages on. Last spring the University of Pennsylvania announced that Acme would replace Fresh Grocer, stating that the incumbent grocery store failed to renew […]
Survey says millennials shop for groceries differently than the rest of us
According to a recent survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers, 99 percent of adults in the U.S. buy some or all of their groceries in person. Those surveyed cited immediate access to products and the ability to select fresh meat, dairy and produce as the top reasons. The survey also revealed that 93 […]
Kroger drops lawsuit against Lidl
The trademark suit filed by Kroger against Lidl in July for allegedly copying its “Private Selection” generic brand name and logo has been dismissed. Both sides agreed earlier this month to dismiss the federal case with prejudice, which means the case can not be refiled. Kroger had charged Lidl with violations of federal trademark and […]
Whole Foods traffic up 25% in first two days of Amazon takeover
In the days before Amazon’s highly-anticipated August 28 takeover of Whole Foods, Amazon promised significant and immediate price cuts, and as previously reported, the company delivered (Amazon slashes prices at Whole Foods…). Two weeks later, Foursquare Labs, Inc. reported that Whole Foods experienced a 25% traffic bump nationally in the first two days after the […]