News Briefs

Harris Teeter is growing its presence across the Southeast.

The grocer, a division of The Kroger Co., plans to open five stores across its region, which include expansion into new markets for the company. Harris Teeter is also planning to introduce fuel centers and pharmacies at each location.

Slated to open their doors during the next couple of years the stores are located in:

• Jacksonville, Fla.;
• Clemson, S.C.;
• Kannapolis, N.C.;
• Lake Wylie, S.C.; and
• Fort Mill, S.C.

"This expansion represents an exciting chapter for Harris Teeter as we extend our reach to serve more neighbors across the Southeast," said Danna Robinson, director of corporate affairs and customer relations for Harris Teeter. "We've seen incredible support from our customers, and this growth allows us to meet rising demand while continuing to deliver the exceptional experience our brand is known for."

Consistent with Harris Teeter's mission to enrich the communities it serves, each store will establish partnerships with local food banks to address food insecurity and ensure neighbors have access to nutritious meals.

Headquartered in Matthews, N.C., Harris Teeter employs 36,000 valued associates across more than 250 stores and 85 fuel centers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Delaware, Florida and the District of Columbia.

Hibbett Inc. is offering its guests expanded flexible payment options ahead of the holiday season.

The athletic apparel and footwear retailer has now added Affirm and Afterpay as buy now, pay later options for in-store and online purchases, allowing qualified shoppers to easily split purchases into smaller, manageable payments over time. The new services join Klarna as Hibbett’s flexible payment options.

“We are excited about the new payment partnerships we have added, to give shoppers some more flexibility this holiday season,” said Bill Quinn, CIO at Hibbett. “We are continuously looking for ways to improve customer shopping experiences, especially during the holiday season.”

With Affirm, Hibbett shoppers can pay over time with clear, predictable payments. Eligible shoppers can choose to pay in four interest-free installments every two weeks, or select monthly payments for larger purchases. With Afterpay, guests pay later with four interest-free payments, with no fees when paid on time, or select a monthly installment plan for big-ticket items.

[READ MORE: Hibbett joins Uber Eats platform]

“We’re excited to partner with Hibbett to bring Afterpay’s transparent, interest-free payment options to their customers nationwide,” said Tanuj Parikh, head of commercial, Cash App and Afterpay. “This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to making shopping more accessible and flexible, especially during the holiday season when consumers are looking for payment solutions that work with their budgets.”

Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala. and owned by JD Sports Fashion plc, Hibbett Inc. operates more than 1,000 stores, located in 36 states nationwide.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday continue to maintain their hold on U.S. consumers amid worries over the economy and tariffs.

The majority (72%) of U.S. consumers plan to shop Cyber weekend this year. More than half plan to shop Black Friday (56%) and/or Cyber Monday (51%), according to Numerator’s Holiday Preview, which highlights consumer plans around the upcoming holiday sales events.

In addition, 32% plan to shop the Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving, and 21% plan to shop on Thanksgiving itself.

The data indicated that the economy and tariffs will play a part in consumers’ shopping plans. Nearly eight in 10 shoppers (79%) plan to take the economy into consideration when shopping the holiday sales, and 35% say they will be more cautious with spending because of the current economic climate. Also, 32% say they will limit spending because of inflation or cost-of-living concerns.

In other findings, 27% of consumers say they will use holiday sales to offset price increases related to tariffs, and 24% say they will delay purchasing certain items until the sales due to rising prices. Also, 13% say they will buy different types of items due to concerns about tariffs.

• Sixty-three percent of shoppers plan to purchase holiday gifts during Cyber Weekend.
• More than a quarter (28%) plan to purchase everyday items (groceries, household goods, etc.).
• Forty-four percent plan to buy items they have been waiting to buy on sale, and 33% plan to purchase whatever catches their eye.
• Excluding holiday gifts, 37% of shoppers plan to purchase items for themselves, and 28% plan to purchase items for other members of their household.

A leading online floral gift retailer is teaming up with a new delivery partner.

1-800-Flowers.com is now available on DoorDash just in time for the holiday season. With the addition of the retailer, consumers in select U.S. areas can enjoy on-demand delivery of floral arrangements via DoorDash from nearly 700 participating local florists that are part of BloomNet, 1-800-Flowers.com’s business network that supports thousands of florists and merchants worldwide. The companies say the partnership is expected to expand across North America.

“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with DoorDash,” said Jon Feldman, president of BloomNet at 1-800-Flowers.com. “By meeting customers on platforms they already use and love, we’re making it easier than ever to send something meaningful – whether it’s a planned celebration or a last-minute gesture, exactly when it matters most.”

[READ MORE: 1-800-Flowers.com expands Uber delivery partnership]

To order 1-800-Flowers.com products on DoorDash, users simply open the app, search for the retailer, select their bouquet, select on-demand or scheduled delivery and track the order in real time.

“We’re excited to bring 1-800-Flowers.com to DoorDash, giving consumers an easy, reliable way to order something meaningful when it counts, from birthday bouquets and anniversary surprises to a special confection for a treat-yourself moment,” said Mike Goldblatt, VP of grocery and retail partnerships at DoorDash. “By bringing the broad assortment from 1-800-Flowers.com and its network of local florists and merchants to DoorDash, we’re making thoughtful gifting simpler than ever.”

Since its founding in 2013, DoorDash has expanded to more than 40 countries.

The mood of consumers darkened in November.

The University of Michigan’s consumer-sentiment index fell to 50.3 in a preliminary reading for November, down from 53.6 in the prior month and down 29.9% year over year. The November reading is at its lowest level since June 2022, which was the lowest level on record.

The drop in sentiment was led by a 17% decrease in current personal finances and a 11% decline in year-ahead expected business conditions. In other readings, the index measuring current economic conditions fell 10.8% to 52.3, and the index measuring consumer expectations fell 2.6% to 49.0.

“With the federal government shutdown dragging on for over a month, consumers are now expressing worries about potential negative consequences for the economy,” said Joanne Hsu, surveys of consumers director, University of Michigan. “This month’s decline in sentiment was widespread throughout the population, seen across age, income, and political affiliation.”

The decline was widespread throughout the population, Hsu added, with one key exception. Consumers with the largest portion of stock holdings posted a notable 11% increase in sentiment.

Inflation

Year-ahead inflation expectations inched up from 4.6% last month to 4.7% this month. They remained well below readings in May in the wake of the initial announcements of major tariff changes.

Long-run inflation expectations declined from 3.9% last month to 3.6% in November. These expectations are now below the midpoint between the readings seen a year ago and the 2025 peak reading from April.