Convenience Stores

After 44 years with Kroger, Smith’s division president Jay Cummins announced plans to retire.

Cummins joined the company in 1972 as a clerk. His retirement will take effect April 29, the company said. A replacement to lead the 139 unit Salt Lake City-based division was not immediately named.

CVS Health's decision to stop selling cigarettes is having its intended impact - 52% of those consumers who used to buy their cigarettes from CVS say it is now harder to buy cigarettes altogether, according to a survey commissioned by V2, a manufacturer of electronic cigarette and vaporizer products.

Retailing Today's sister publication Chain Store Age recently spoke with Vishwa Chandra, VP of retail accounts for Instacart, to get a better sense of the current and future state of online delivery.
 
What is driving growing consumer interest in online delivery?

Although not many consumers are currently shopping for groceries online, those who do are likely to be repeat customers.
 
According to “The 2016 Online Grocery Shopper,” a survey of more than 500 U.S. online consumers from Toronto-based grocery technology provider Unata, 8% of consumers bought groceries via Internet in 2015.

However, 93% of those shoppers said they are “likely” or “very likely” to buy groceries online in 2016.
 

Boise, Idaho-based discount grocer WinCo Foods will develop a new ground-up 82,077-sq.-ft. anchor store at Trinity Valley Shopping Center in Carrollton, Texas.

The new WinCo will be developed at the site of a former Target anchor store at the center. Following the closure, the ownership of the center, Josey Trinity Mills Ltd., acquired the vacant building in October 2015. The site will be demolished starting around April 2016, and the newly developed WinCo is scheduled to open in early 2017.

Gift cards are exceedingly popular with Millennials, as new research from the Wharton School’s Baker Retailing Center and The NPD Group found. Here is fresh insight as to why:

Although not many consumers are currently shopping for groceries online, those who do are likely to be repeat customers.

According to “The 2016 Online Grocery Shopper,” a survey of more than 500 U.S. online consumers from Toronto-based grocery technology provider Unata, 8% of consumers bought groceries via Internet in 2015.

However, 93% of those shoppers said they are “likely” or “very likely” to buy groceries online in 2016.

Google is testing a new range of products for its Google Express online delivery service.

Google is now offering fresh grocery items, such as milk and bread, for delivery through Google Express in the San Francisco and Los Angeles markets. The company is partnering with local outlets of retailers including Costco, Whole Foods and Smart & Final in San Francisco and Costco, Whole Foods and Vincente Foods in Los Angeles to fulfill orders, which can include alcohol and frozen items.