Convenience Stores

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The competitive prospects of Spartan Stores and Nash Finch improved considerably on Monday when the two companies agreed to merge and create an enterprise with 177 stores, 22 distribution centers and annual sales of roughly $7.5 billion.

Houston -- U.S. Hispanics are more likely to purchase grocery foods, dairy, and bread from convenience stores (c-stores) than non-Hispanics, reports the NPD Group, leading global information company. Spanish-dominant Hispanics are more likely to make grocery item purchases at c-stores than other Hispanics, according to the NPD report entitled The C-Store Hispanic Shopper, which examines the typical convenience store shopping behavior of Hispanics by level of acculturation and how it compares to non-Hispanics.
 

New York -- Supermarket operator Compare Foods announced that it begun the implementation of the Swift Shopper app created by ezCommerce Solutions. The app, designed for those retailers hesitant to invest in mobile point-of-sale, costs retailers nothing and doesn’t require any hardware, training or integration to implement. Customers download it to their phone/tablet for free (or upgrade for the low cost of $1.99) and it enables them to scan any barcode as they shop.  

It works in every store where cashiers have dual-line handheld scanners.

PITTSBURGH — GNC is no stranger to China, with more than 60 store-within-a-store locations in eight different major grocery, convenience and health and wellness chains in China. But two years after entering the market, the retailer is opening its first stand-alone location in Shanghai.

GNC plans on opening an additional 25 locations in China within the next 12 months.

Pittsburgh -- GNC Holdings Inc. on Monday opens its first freestanding store in China. The store, located in the Raffles City complex in Shanghai, is the first of about 25 standalone stores GNC plans to open in China during the next 12 months.

Grand Rapids, Mich. -- Spartan Stores and Nash Finch Company on Monday announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Spartan Stores and Nash Finch will combine in an all-stock merger valued at approximately $1.3 billion, including existing net debt at each company.

Nash Finch, which had revenues of about $4.8 billion last year, will become a subsidiary of Spartan Stores, which had revenues of $2.6 billion.

TORONTO — It is easy to see why Loblaw wanted to acquire Canada’s Shoppers Drug Mart following the release of second quarter results that highlight attractive growth prospects.

Canada’s Shoppers Drug Mart saw a boost in second-quarter sales and earnings, and according to president and CEO Domenic Pilla, the company is “well-positioned heading into the back half of the year.”

Lynnfield, Mass. – HP Hood, manufacturer of the Brigham’s brand of ice cream, has decided to stop supplying the 10 remaining independent ice creams stores in the Boston area that serve Brigham’s with the product later this month. As reported by the Boston Globe, this will require the two stores still operating under the Brigham’s banner to change their name once the final shipments run out.