Aldi and Lidl planning shake-up of U.S. grocery landscape
A Wall Street Journal article last month said “the two scrappy German discounters that have wreaked the most havoc in Britain are ratcheting up their U.S. ambitions.” The discounters are, of course, Aldi and Lidl. Aldi currently has over 10,000 stores in 18 countries. (Aldi is actually broken down into Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud, […]
Whole Foods to layoff 1,500 employees
Whole Foods said last week it would eliminate 1,500 jobs, or 1.6% of its workforce, as part of a commitment to invest in technology and lower prices. The company anticipates that many of the reductions would come from natural attrition, and that it expects other affected employees to find jobs elsewhere within the company via […]
Albertsons set to raise $1.8 billion from IPO
It was reported last week that Albertsons, which operates 2,200 stores in 33 states, including Acme Supermarkets in the Greater Philadelphia Region, expects to raise up to $1.84 billion in its initial public offering. The company has not yet said when the IPO will take place. Executives plan to change the organizational structure of AB […]
WARN Notices filed for 94 A&P stores in New Jersey
WARN notices were filed with the state of New Jersey for 94 A&P, Superfresh, Pathmark and Food Basics stores that are slated for closure. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) was enacted in 1988 and requires employers to provide notice 60 days in advance of covered plant closings and covered mass layoffs. The notice must […]
Albertsons files for IPO
Earlier this month, Albertsons, the second-largest traditional supermarket operator in the United States (behind Kroger), filed for an initial public offering. The IPO, which comes only a couple years after an investor group led by Cerberus Capital Management purchased the company from Supervalu, is expected to raise about $100 million. Albertsons said it plans to […]
Acme to bid on bankrupt A&P stores
One day after A&P filed for bankruptcy for the second time in five years, Acme announced today that it will bid to acquire 76 A&P, Superfresh and Pathmark stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. In a statement by A&P earlier today, the company said it plans to sell 120 stores in total for about […]
Whole Foods overcharging is “worst case of mislabeling” inspectors have seen
Not surprisingly, the New York Daily News story about alleged overcharging by Whole Foods started off with “Rip-off on aisle four.” The newspaper reported that New York City officials launched a probe of Whole Foods after investigators claimed the eight city stores routinely overcharged customers for groceries during dozens of inspections dating back to 2010. […]
Developers planning for North Philadelphia supermarket
According to a story posted on Philly.com in June, developers are making plans for apartments and a supermarket on the vacant land surrounded by Fairmount Ave., 13th Street and Ridge Avenue in North Philadelphia. Plans include the preservation of the Divine Lorraine Hotel, once a grand hotel but now a vacant, boarded up building. RAL […]
ShopRite to open in Bethlehem Township later this month
A ShopRite-anchored mixed-use development is nearing completion in Bethlehem Township. Developers of the project, known as Madison Farms, are now leasing luxury apartments, and both ShopRite and Starbucks plan to open in the next few weeks. Other retailers planned for the project include Supercuts, Subway, Elements Massage, Heartland Dental, Pet Valu, Provident Bank and Verizon […]
Save-A-Lot planning for corporate store growth
In a May conference call with analysts, Supervalu President and CEO Sam Duncan said the company’s goal is to open up to 100 new Save-A-Lot locations this year, including about 60 corporate stores. Beginning in 2018, Duncan projects 150 Save-A-Lot openings per year and anticipates the same 60-40 corporate – licensee mix. “Supervalu wants to […]