News Briefs

With prices spiking at the pump, a grocery giant is offering its loyalty program members more opportunities to save this spring.

The Kroger Co. has announced two special 4X Fuel Points Spring Weekend events to help customers save when fueling up. From March 27-29 and April 3-5, customers can earn four-times the Fuel Points on groceries and eligible purchases with a digital or in-store accessible coupon.

Kroger's Fuel Points program rewards guests with even more savings. Customers earn one Fuel Point for every $1 spent on groceries, with points redeemable for discounts on fuel at Kroger’s fleet of gas stations.

According to data from AAA, the national average price per gallon of regular gasoline is up roughly $1 compared to just one month ago, coinciding with the beginning of the conflict in Iran.

"Spring can bring added travel for the families we serve," said Mary Ellen Adcock, executive VP and chief merchant and marketing officer. "Through our Fuel Points program and everyday low prices, we are giving customers more ways to stretch their budgets and earn more for being a loyal Kroger customer."

[READ MORE: Kroger names former Walmart exec as CEO]

The expanded benefits at the gas pump are just the latest cost saving initiative from Kroger. Earlier this month, the grocer hosted its Customer Appreciation Week event, running March 11-17, allowing customers to obtain low prices on seasonal products as well as private label and national brands across the store.

Based in Cincinnati, The Kroger Co. operates approximately 2,800 stores under a variety of banners across the U.S., including Kroger, Fred Meyer, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith's, King Soopers, Fry's, QFC, City Market, Owen's, Jay C, Pay Less, Baker's, Gerbes, Harris Teeter, Pick 'n Save, Metro Market and Mariano's.

Target's efforts to provide a more consistent store experience extend to its employees.

The retailer is expanding an employee discount, and is reportedly rolling out an updated dress code policy for team members. Store workers will be required to wear sleeved-red shirts and either blue denim or khaki pants, shorts or skirts, reported NBC Chicago. (Previously, graphic or patterned red shirts and jeans of other colors had been allowed.) Employees also have the option of wearing a company-provided red vest.

All team member will receive a free red shirt, and a one-time 50% off a denim purchase. The changes, which come as the retailer has launched a $6 billion turnaround plan, are set to go into effect this summer, the report said.

Apparel Discount

Beginning April 12, Target team members will receive a new 20% discount on all adult-owned brand apparel, expanding the company’s existing 10% team member discount on everyday items, as well as its 20% discount on wellness items. The enhanced discount expands access to Target's portfolio of owned-brand apparel, including A New Day, Wild Fable, Goodfellow & Co. and Universal.

“This update demonstrates Target’s strategic approach to designing team member benefits that align with the company’s core priorities of delivering style and design, while also helping team members feel more connected to the brands they represent every day and supporting a strong, engaged workforce,” the company said. 

Swim and resortwear brand Lspace is venturing outside of California for its third retail location.

The brand has opened a new 1,300-sq.-ft. pop-up store in Miami Beach, Fla., following a public grand opening on March 21. The pop-up will run until Sept. 1, allowing visitors to shop the brand’s collection of swimwear, activewear, dresses, accessories and more all spring and summer.

Lspace says the pop-up boutique showcases the brand’s signature collections, capturing its “relaxed and refined aesthetic.” The brand currently operates two permanent stores in California, in Newport Beach (Fashion Island) and La Jolla (UTC La Jolla), with plans for more permanent locations in the future.

“By establishing a presence in Miami Beach, Lspace underscores its commitment to growth in key lifestyle markets, connecting with loyal fans and new audiences in a city defined by energy, style and coastal allure,” said the brand.

[READ MORE: Zimmermann to open first Midwest store at Chicago's Plaza del Lago]

Founded in 1999, Lspace describes itself as a premium lifestyle brand designed for “women who move between the beach, city and beyond.”

Grocery shoppers are tackling rising food costs by stretching meals and dining out less.

That’s according to a new survey from agriculture insights and research firm Stratovation Group and U.S. food and agriculture communications agency Inspire, which found that nearly half of respondents try to make food last longer by stretching food into multiple meals.

When it comes to how grocery shoppers are addressing rising food costs, more at-home eating (39%), purchasing store brand and generic grocery items (36%) and buying in bulk (32%) were the most popular responses. When asked about curbing non-essential purchases, half of those surveyed said they would cut alcohol purchases, followed by higher-priced gourmet foods and sweets.

[READ MORE: Study: Prices, focus on health to shape consumer spending in 2026]

Additional insights form the Stratovation Group and Inspire survey include the following:

•About three-quarters of those surveyed have used their local grocery store's food pickup and food delivery services, while about seven-in-10 say they have used a third-party grocery app.

•About half of those surveyed eat at a restaurant once a week or twice a month, while roughly eight-in-10 say they order restaurant delivery at least once each month.

•DoorDash (64%) and UberEats (47%) are the most frequently used restaurant delivery services.

"This research makes it clear that today's consumer is navigating a constant balancing act between cost, convenience and nutrition,” said Cam Camfield, CEO of Stratovation Group. “By combining our insights with Inspire's expertise in consumer communications, we're able to deliver a more complete picture of how food and consumption trends are actually playing out in real time."

A visually-oriented social media platform is making it easier for creators and small businesses to promote their content to interested users.

Pinterest is rolling out a new feature called “Promote a Pin” that enables any user to boost their content on the platform with a few taps and no advertising experience requirement. Promote a Pin is built on the Pinterest Taste Graph, a proprietary, multimodal artificial intelligence engine trained on billions of images, videos and text to support Pinterest’s recommendations systems, to help put promoted pins in front of users who are most likely to convert.

[READ MORE: Pinterest debuts generative AI-based visual search features]

“From entrepreneurs to global brands we’re making it easier for businesses of every size to reach the right audiences, connect with new customers and grow on Pinterest,” said Lee Brown, chief business officer. “Promote a Pin is a significant step in our work to remove barriers and deliver simple, powerful tools that unlock greater opportunity and long-term growth.”

Promote a Pin users can track their results in real time and adjust as needed. The offering will roll out to users in the U.S. over the coming weeks, with even more features and global expansion in the future. 

In addition to launching Promote a Pin, Pinterest is experimenting with a pre-built Pinterest Performance+ Catalog Sales campaign set up with Pinterest best practices, enabling retailers to get live directly through the Pinterest Shopify app or Ads Manager.

Fatburger is expanding its presence in a key European market.

FAT (Fresh, Authentic, Tasty) Brands Inc., the fast-casual burger chain’s parent company, shared that the brand has opened the first of 30 planned new locations in France. The newest store is located in the eastern Paris suburb of Rosny-sous-Bois.

Fatburger’s expansion in the country is in collaboration with franchising partner Big M CIE.

“France is a key strategic growth market for Fatburger, and we’re proud to open the first restaurant in what will be a strong partnership with Mehdi Bella [French entrepreneur] and his team,” said Jake Berchtold, chief operating officer of FAT Brands’ fast casual division. “Later this year, we also look forward to opening two additional restaurants with the group, one location in Northern France and the other in Southern France – a testament to our commitment to delivering our custom-built, high-quality burgers to more fans worldwide.”

[READ MORE: Fatburger adds 40 stores to Florida pipeline]

Founded in Los Angeles in 1947, Fatburger is known for its customizable, cooked-to-order burgers, as well as its Fat and Skinny Fries, milkshakes and more.

FAT Brands currently owns 18 restaurant brands, and franchises and owns over 2,200 units worldwide. In January of this year, the company began voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. FAT Brands said it plans to use the filings to “deleverage the balance sheet, maximize value for its stakeholders, and support continued growth of its brands.”