Large Chains

Seattle – Starbucks is expanding its Evolution Fresh cold-pressed juice to more than 360 corporate stores in the Chicago and greater Midwest areas. This brings the total number of Starbucks locations and grocery stores offering Evolution Fresh products to more than 9,000 across the U.S.

Kroger has promoted Dennis Gibson to president of the QFC division. He succeeds Joe Fey, who was named president of Kroger's Mid-Atlantic division in January.

Gibson has been serving as VP merchandising in Kroger's Columbus division.

Bi-Lo Holdings and Delhaize Group have received approval from the Federal Trade Commission to proceed with the transaction in which Bi-Lo Holdings will acquire substantially all of the stores in the Sweetbay, Harveys and Reid’s supermarket chains from Delhaize.

AB Acquisition LLC, which operates Albertson’s LLC and New Albertson’s Inc., has appointed Rick Navarro, who had been the company’s CFO since its inception in 2006, as chief administrative officer. Succeeding Navarro as the company’s CFO is former Nash Finch executive Robert Dimond.

In his new role, Navarro will oversee the IT, legal, business development, human resources and public affairs functions.

Pleasanton, Calif. – Safeway Inc. is exploring a sale of the company as it reports substantial increases in net income due to its exit from the Canadian market, and smaller increases in net sales for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2014. Although the discussions for a sale are ongoing, the company said it has not reached an agreement on a transaction, and there can be no assurance that these discussions will lead to an agreement or a completed transaction.  

Chicago -- Fresh Thyme Farmers Markets, a new specialty grocer format featuring value-priced healthy and organic offerings, announced Wednesday that it plans to open over 60 stores and create approximately 5,000 new jobs throughout the Midwest over the next five years. The company's first store will open in Mt. Prospect, Ill., this spring, followed by eight more grand openings, spread out between Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, throughout the remainder of this year. The retailer will enter Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin and Minnesota in 2015.

Chicago — Heinen’s Fine Foods has leased a 61,965 sq. ft. anchor location at the Bannockburn Green community center in Bannockburn, Ill., according to CBRE, which assisted in the lease negotiations.

The 151,206-sq.-ft. center serves Deerfield, Lake Forest, Highland Park, Lincolnshire and Bannockburn. The center’s retail lineup includes Walgreen’s, Erehwon Mountain Outfitters, Sleepy’s, Panera Bread and GNC.

Safeway has confirmed that it is in discussions concerning a possible transaction involving the sale of the company. However, the company declined to comment further at this time.

"Although the discussions are ongoing, the company has not reached an agreement on a transaction, and there can be no assurance that these discussions will lead to an agreement or a completed transaction," Safeway stated as part of its earnings release.

New York -- President Barack Obama visited Safeway Inc.’s distribution center in Upper Marlboro, Md., where he spotlighted the chain’s efforts to improve truck efficiency and called for new fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas standards for medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks by March 2016. The new standards will mean “thousands of dollars in savings every year” for truck operators, Obama said.

Sunbury, Pa. — Weiss Markets named Jonathan Weis as president and CEO. Weis, 46, will also retain his role as vice chairman of the chain.

Weis has been serving as the company’s interim CEO since David Hepfinger departed in September. He is the son of Robert F. Weis, who remains chairman of Weis Markets.