Publix

Payless ShoeSource and Marshalls will be opening their doors in the coming week in the Butler North power center of Butler Enterprises’ 267-acre retail park in Gainesville, Florida. Walmart Supercenter, Sam’s Club, Lowe’s, and Dick’s Sporting Goods made their debuts there earlier this year.   

Publix Super Markets is expanding its online outreach by launching the company’s first blog for engaging with customers.   The blog, called Publix Checkout, was created with the customer in mind, the company says. Blog posts will range in topic from recipes, community initiatives and sustainability ideas to holiday entertaining, health and wellness and more. Visitors to the blog can comment on posts or share them on social media sites.  

Regency Centers has demolished most of its Aventura Shopping Center in the South Florida town of the same name, and is underway with a near-total redevelopment.   The Publix grocery anchor at the center south of Hollywood is the only structure that remains, though the 35,500-sq.-ft. space will be expanded to 49,000 sq. ft. with parking below the store.   

Publix’s sales for second quarter 2016 were $8.1 billion, a 2.1% increase from last year’s $8 billion. Comparable-store sales for second quarter 2016 increased 1.1%.    The company says sales were negatively impacted by 1.2% due to the effect of the Easter holiday being in the first quarter in 2016. In 2015, the effect of the Easter holiday was in the second quarter.  

As their merger enters the home stretch, Delhaize Group and Ahold have reached agreements with buyers to divest 86 U.S. stores.   The two international companies announced their intent to combine forces back in June 20115. The merger is set for completion at the end of July, pending final approval by the Federal Trade Commission.  

Publix is joining Costco, Whole Foods and other retailers in providing grocery delivery service through a partnership with Instacart.   Publix announced Wednesday that it would begin its Instacart service in select areas of Miami beginning July 12. Instacart is an e-commerce and delivery service that allows customers to place their grocery orders online and have their items delivered right to their doorsteps. Customers can place orders by visiting www.instacart.com/publix.  

Cameron Geiger, senior VP, Walmart technology, has been appointed to the GS1 U.S. board of governors.

He will help guide the GS1 U.S. strategy for driving adoption and usage of GS1 standards within the retail industry. GS1 standards are used to uniquely identify products, services and locations globally.

Publix Super Markets on Monday turned in another winning revenue performance, reporting $8.7 billion in sales for its first quarter, up 4.5% from $8.3 billion in the year ago period. Same-store sales rose 3.3%.

Net earnings were up to $581.9 million, up 6% over the same period last year.

It was the first quarterly report issued under new CEO Todd Jones. Former chief executive Ed Crenshaw retired Friday after 42 years with the company and nearly eight as CEO.

Publix Super Markets added its soon-to-be CEO, current CFO and a retired Deloitte executive to its board of directors when the Southeast’s leading food retailer held its annual stockholders meeting on April 12.   Publix president Todd Jones, CFO David Phillips and retired Deloitte executive Jessica Blume were elected to the board of the $32.4 billion retailer.  

Publix Super Markets added its soon-to-be CEO, current CFO and a retired Deloitte executive to its board of directors when the Southeast’s leading food retailer held its annual stockholders meeting on April 12.

Publix president Todd Jones, CFO David Phillips and retired Deloitte executive Jessica Blume were elected to the board of the $32.4 billion retailer.