Ahold investing in freshness, training and price reductions
Ahold announced last week that its U.S. pilot program that invests more heavily in the quality and merchandising of its fresh assortment, in employee training and in targeted price reductions, resulted in “encouraging volume uplifts” and will be rolled out more extensively, especially in New England. The announcement came as Ahold’s first quarter results revealed […]
The Fresh Market expanding in CA, TX and FL
The Fresh Market isn’t worried about Whole Foods’ competitive price positioning and feels it is less prone to price sensitivity than its competitors, according to CFO Jeffrey Ackerman. “Our view is that people are coming to us for the quality of the service, the quality of the food and a different shopping experience,” Ackerman said last […]
Fresh Grocer closes NJ store in “food desert”
The Fresh Grocer closed its New Brunswick, NJ store on May 24 after less than two years in operation. The store, located in a downtown “food desert,” was not able to generate enough business, according to owner Pat Burns. The company, which became part of the Wakefern cooperative last year, operates six other locations in Pennsylvania […]
Wegmans updates pubs, lets servers accept tips
Wegmans announced last month that it had reopened two of its restaurants – in Collegeville and Malvern, PA – with “refreshed decor and an updated menu.” The restaurants, each known as The Pub at Wegmans, will also now let servers accept tips. Overall, Wegmans operates five pubs and tips had been allowed at the others, […]
Acme making changes, seeing results under new president
Acme Markets, the long-time Philadelphia market leader that has fallen behind ShopRite and Giant in recent years, is investing profits back into stores and making a bit of a comeback. The turnaround started shortly after Supervalu sold Acme and four other supermarket chains to a group led by Cerberus Capital Management. After the sale Jim Perkins was named Acme president, […]
Whole Foods to relocate from North Wales to Lower Gwynedd
Whole Foods announced today that it would close its North Wales, PA store and open a new, larger store in Lower Gwynedd, PA. The target date for the new store, to be located in Stoltz Real Estate Partners’ Springhouse Village Shopping Center, is late 2015. Whole Foods currently operates 379 stores but expects to reach 500 sometime […]
Safeway reveals that Kroger would have paid more than Cerberus
According to a Wall Street Journal story citing Safeway’s proxy statement, Kroger was willing to pay more for Safeway than Cerberus Capital Management did, but concerns over antitrust risk caused Safeway to make a deal with the private equity firm. The story reports that Kroger first contacted Safeway in February about buying all or part […]
Wegmans planning two stores near Richmond, VA
Last week Wegmans confirmed the rumors that it would open stores in the Richmond, VA market. According to Senior Vice President Ralph Uttaro, “We have had countless requests to open a Wegmans store in the Richmond area, so we are delighted to finally announce that we’re headed there.” Wegmans, which typically ranges in size from 120,000 – […]
Weis Markets investing over $100 million in growth
Weis Markets announced its third quarter earnings recently, which were highlighted by a 1.2% increase in net income to $17.2 million. The company also said it would continue to increase its focus on “maximizing efficiency by driving millions of dollars of cost out of the system while maintaining high standards for store service.” President and […]
Family Dollar to close 370 stores, slow growth and layoff workers
Family Dollar announced earlier this month that it plans to close 370 of its 8,100 stores in the second half of the year, and to slow down store growth to about 400 per year, starting next year. The company also said it would try to boost traffic by cutting prices on about 1,000 items, and […]