Large Chains

Exceptional customer service continues to drive growth at Publix Supermarkets, which had strong earnings and same-store sales growth in its third quarter.

Publix sales for the third quarter 2015 totaled $7.8 billion, representing a 6.3% increase from last year. Comparable-store sales for the third quarter of 2015 increased 4.2%.

Southeastern Grocers on Thursday announced a significant pricing initiative that addresses exactly what customers need: a $40 million investment into permanent lower prices on the products Winn-Dixie customers buy the most.

Customers stated in a recent survey that “affordable prices” was the most important requirement from a grocery store, so Winn-Dixie is introducing a New Regular Pricing Program that will permanently reduce the prices on more than 1,500 grocery items at all 518 Winn-Dixie stores.

Meijer is piloting a new approach to store lighting.

The retailer's remodeled store in Beavercreek, Ohio, is its first-ever location to feature 100% LED lighting. The LEDs, from GE, are expected to save more than a half million kilowatt hours of electricity annually.

The new lighting is part of an extensive $50 million remodeling project that Meijer is undertaking at four supercenters in the Dayton market. According to Meijer, the GE LEDs deployed in the store are 30% more efficient than traditional lighting, with a 50% longer lifespan.

Fresh & Easy, which opened its first store in 2007 and was U.K. giant Tesco’s first U.S. venture, is closing its stores, the Los Angeles Times reported. The chain, which was never able to gain a foothold in the competitive U.S. grocery market, filed Chapter 11 in 2013, and was acquired by grocery billionaire Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Cos. with a loan from Tesco. [Los Angeles Times]

An associate at Food Lion has been honored by the Environmental Protection Agency for his efforts to reduce the chain’s refrigerant emissions.

Nick Cordasci has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2014 Distinguished Partner Achievement Award, one of the agency's individual honors for commercial refrigeration achievements, by the GreenChill Partnership.

Just a few weeks after installing a new CEO, the Fresh Market is planning to conduct a strategic review that may include a sale of the specialty grocery chain.

The company says it has retained J.P. Morgan Securities as its financial advisor to assist in this process, which may result in the company continuing to pursue value-enhancing initiatives as a standalone company, capital structure optimization, or a sale of the company or other business combination.

Wegmans has confirmed the next location of the family-owned supermarket chain's 87th store.

The retailer plans to build a store in Lancaster, Pa. The store is expected to be up to 120,000 sq. ft. in size and similar in design to Wegmans’ newest stores.

According to MyEastTex.com, H-E-B might be considering an acquisition of regional grocer Brookshire Grocery, based on information from a source close to the situation.If this deal comes to pass it would put HEB in markets beyond Texas for the first time, as Brookshire has stores in Southwestern Arkansas and western Louisiana.

HEB is considering an acquisition of regional grocer Brookshire Grocery, which would expand HEB beyond Texas for the first time, according to a new report.

If this deal comes to pass it would put HEB in markets beyond Texas, as Brookshire has stores in Southwestern Arkansas and western Louisiana, reports MyEastTex.com. The company’s website store locator lists 117 stores — 80 in Texas, 26 in La. and 11 in Arkansas.

Food Lion has rolled out its “Easy Fresh and Affordable” branding campaign to its 162 stores in the Raleigh, North Carolina market. The $250 million initiative included full store remodels, price investments and training of associates.