News Briefs

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Philadephia-based Gopuff operates its own micro-fulfillment centers and offers more than 5,000 products delivered in as fast as 15 minutes across the U.S. and U.K.

Target Corp. said it is not working with federal immigration authorities in response to criticism following the shooting of a man by an ICE agent down the street from one of its stores in New York City.

U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and local immigration rights activists accused Target of letting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement use the store's two-level parking lot as a staging area for operations in the area. The store is located in the Shops at Marble Hill shopping center on West 225th Street, near the border of Upper Manhattan and the Bronx. The other tenants include Foot Locker, Marshalls, Starbucks and CVS Pharmacy.

"Target has no cooperative agreements with ICE or any other immigration enforcement agency,” a Target spokesperson said in emailed comments to Chain Store Age.

Kingsbridge Associates, an affiliate of Washington Square Partners, owns and operates The Shops at Marble Hill center. The week before the shooting occurred, city officials sent a letter to Kingsbridge asking that it terminate any agreements with ICE to use the center’s parking lot, reported The New York Times. Kingsbridge did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the report said.

The shooting occurred as ICE officers tried to arrest Dominican immigrant Oscar Belgal while he was in a car with his 5-year-old son. At least one agent shot seven rounds at the car, Belgal was hit in the neck.

“We call on Kingsbridge Associates LLC and other private landlords to stop collaborating with ICE by allowing their parking lots to be used as staging grounds,” the Interfaith Center of New York said in a statement following the shooting.

A network security incident has caused Ahold Delhaize USA to take all five of its U.S. grocery banner e-commerce sites offline.

In a brief announcement on its main website, Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. subsidiary of Dutch supermarket conglomerate Ahold Delhaize, said that it is “experiencing a security issue” within its network and is taking steps to assess and mitigate the issue, including taking some systems offline. At this time, the company’s brick-and-mortar stores are open and serving customers.

“Protecting our infrastructure in the best interest of our customers, associates and partners is a top priority,” Ahold Delhaize USA said in the statement. “We apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused customers and partners.”

As of Monday, Oct. 12, the company’s individual e-commerce sites for its Food Lion, The Giant Company, Giant Food, Hannaford, and Stop & Shop banners all had a notice on the homepage stating they were temporarily down due to a technical issue. Since fall 2025, all five sites have been running on the same proprietary e-commerce platform.

[READ MORE: Ahold Delhaize USA rolls out digital platform across banners]

Developed and managed by in-house technology teams, the platform serves as the foundation of Ahold Delhaize USA’s ecosystem, supporting e-commerce, digital engagement and personalized customer experiences for each brand. Stop & Shop was the first banner to launch the platform, in 2020.

In November 2024, a ransomware attack on Ahold Delhaize USA exposed the personal data of more than 2 million employees, including names, Social Security numbers, financial account information, health information, government-issued ID numbers such as passports and driver’s licenses, postal addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth.

This is a developing story and Chain Store Age will continue to provide updates.

Casual daytime restaurant chain Eggs Up Grill is highlighting its expansion momentum.

The company signed 11 new restaurant commitments across four franchise groups in the third quarter of 2026, including for both existing and new markets, such as Kansas. Together, the agreements bring Eggs Up Grill to more than 90 units in development nationwide.

"When experienced operators diversify their portfolios with Eggs Up Grill, and existing franchise partners continue to grow with the brand, it validates the trust they have in our model and our ability to scale," said Ricky Richardson, CEO of Eggs Up Grill, which offers customers breakfast, brunch and lunch options. "We're increasingly attracting sophisticated multi-unit, multi-brand operators who recognize the opportunity within the daytime category.”

Eggs Up Grill opened three restaurants during the quarter, in Bonaire, Ga., Spears Creek, S.C., and Mt. Pleasant, S.C. The company added that the third quarter extended its positive same-restaurant sales growth streak to 23 consecutive quarters.

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“Eggs Up Grill has tremendous momentum heading into the final quarter of the year, and our focus remains on finding the right partners who can grow with us for the long term,” added Richardson.

Founded in Pawleys, Island, S.C., Eggs Up Grill operates more than 110 locations nationwide.

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Whole Foods Market is opening a flagship in Los Angeles that will feature several new venues, including a taproom and elevated specialty department.

The 63,082-sq.-ft. store, scheduled to open on Nov. 11, is located in the Bloom on Third shopping center. Situated at the intersection of 3rd & Fairfax, the outpost is a relocation of the original Fairfax store next door, which has open since 2002. (On Nov. 11, Whole Foods will open in Simi Valley, Calif., marking its 96th location in the Golden State. It follows the September openings of two additional stores in California.)

The new flagship, which has a designated parking structure with some 600 spaces, houses a taproom offering wine by the glass and beer on tap, including local selections. While at the bar, customers can also order charcuterie and cheese plates while at the bar from a new charcuterie venue adjacent to the taproom. The taproom will also host events with two currently scheduled from 2-7 p.m. on Nov. 14 and 21, featuring a DJ, wine tasting and special demo activations.

Other features include an elevated specialty department featuring a charcuterie venue offering a menu of pre-curated cheese and charcuterie boards or build-your-own options. There is also a coffee and juice bar offering made-to-order coffee, tea, juices and smoothies.

The product assortment includes more than 1,900 local items from more than 400 California-based suppliers. The store also includes signature Whole Food offerings such as a curated grocery section, full-service meat counter, extensive beverage selection including spirits and more than 780 wines, prepared foods, bakery, and wellness and beauty. 

[READ MORE:Amazon investing $230M in pay, benefits for Whole Foods employees]

Whole Foods Market, which is owned by Amazon, has more than 560 stores across the U.S., Canada and the U.K.