Walmart

Walmart leads the pack when it comes to paid search advertising in the grocery category.   That’s according to new research from AdGooroo. The search marketing intelligence provider analyzed 124 non-branded grocery store and grocery delivery keywords from June 2016-May 2017.  

Amazon may face a contender for Whole Foods Market.   JP Morgan research analysts said in a note that Walmart could step in as a rival bidder for the grocery chain, reported CNBC, attracted by Whole Foods' more affluent customer base and strong brand.   

Dollar General has added a Vitamin Shoppe veteran to its ranks as executive VP and chief merchandising officer.   Jason Reiser, most recently executive VP and COO of Vitamin Shoppe, will join the discounter, effective July 12. He replaces the recently retired Jim Thorpe.   Reiser brings with him to Dollar General more than 30 years’ experience in retail management, private brand sourcing and regulatory affairs. He also is a trained pharmacist.  

The first enclosed mall on Massachusetts South Shore will undergo a $40 million conversion to an open-air center under the ownership of a spun-off unit of Phillips Edison & Company.   The 732,000-sq.-ft. Hanover Mall in Pembroke Massachusetts — anchored by Macy’s, Sears, and Walmart — was purchased last fall by PECO Real Estate Partners, which operates under the name PREP. Built in 1971 and last renovated in 2004, the center has direct access to Route 3, the major thoroughfare joining towns south of Boston.

The recent announcement that Amazon intends to purchase Whole Foods Market has the retail and grocery store industry reeling as traditional grocers assess the near and long-term impact that the online giant’s much larger position in the marketplace may have. And with good reason. Amazon is the classic “disruptor” and has changed the face of every industry it touches. But aside from the competitive aspects, this move potentially has significant political and policy impacts as well.   

eBay is stepping up its game in the online price war competition, and taking aim at low-cost rivals Walmart and Amazon, among others.   Starting Tuesday, eBay launched its Price Match Guarantee on more than 50,000 deals in the United States. As the name suggests, the program promises that an eligible deal will be the best price available online, or eBay will match the lower price found on a competitor’s website.   

Walmart is asking its technology suppliers to pick sides in its retailing war with Amazon.   The retailing giant reportedly warned some tech companies that if they want its business, they can't run applications on Amazon’s cloud platform, Amazon Web Services. Walmart currently partners with tech suppliers that already leverage cloud apps running on AWS, although the retailer didn’t reveal which applications or how many they use, sources told the Wall Street Journal.