Large Chains

Meijer is relying on a familiar tactic to drum up foot traffic into its stores ahead of Thanksgiving Day by once again offering aggressive pricing on turkeys.

"A Thanksgiving meal isn't complete without the turkey, and with these great prices, Meijer wants to ensure that our customers can provide their families with the best holiday experience," said Jerry Suter, VP of fresh merchandise.

Instacart, a service that delivers groceries from multiple local stores within an hour, has expanded its footprint to include independent supermarket Berkeley Bowl as well as Costco to its grocery store lineup just in time for the holiday season.

The company’s Berkeley and Oakland customers can now mix items from Whole Foods, Safeway, Costco and Berkeley Bowl into one order and have them delivered the same day.

Laval, Quebec City -- Canadian convenience store giant Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. announced t it has signed, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Circle K Stores Inc., an agreement with Albuquerque Convenience and Retail to acquire 23 stores in New Mexico. Albuquerque Convenience and Retail is subsidiary of Phillips 66 Company.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores on Thursday posted a 2.8% increase in its third-quarter profit. But the chain cut its annual outlook for the second time in three months as its core shoppers continue to feel economic pressures.

"The retail environment, both in stores and online, remains competitive," In a pre-recorded conference call, Mike Duke, president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, said the retail environment, both online and in stores, remains competitive.

Salisbury, N.C. -- Food Lion announced that it has made significant investments in 169 stores in North Carolina and South Carolina and created 500 new jobs. Key markets include Greenville, N.C., Wilmington, N.C., Columbia, S.C., Charleston, S.C., and Myrtle Beach, S.C.

To celebrate the launch, Food Lion is holding grand re-opening festivities at the 169 stores, including providing the first 50 customers at each location with a bag of free groceries Nov. 13 through Nov. 16.

Interactions, a company that organizes event marketing and product demonstrations for retailers and brands, has appointed Jerry Slater as VP of operations.

Slater will lead Elite Marketing Interactions, the company’s in-house group dedicated exclusively to Meijer, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates 203 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. In his new role, Slater is responsible for overseeing the company’s day-to-day operations and will be based in the Grand Rapids office.
 

Fresh off another quarter of same store sales growth, Food Lion held grand re-opening activities at 169 stores in North and South Carolina beginning Wednesday, November 13 in observation of investments the company said it has now made in nearly all of its 1,100 stores.

Leading food wholesaler Nash Finch said its third quarter sales growth was cut in half as a result of the government shutdown in September.

Total sales increase 3.5% to $1.56 billion during the period ended October 5, but the rate of growth would have been nearly double without the government shutdown which impacted defense department commissaries that are Nash Finch customers.

Dallas -- During the next 24 months, Kroger will invest $150 million in North Texas to build five new Marketplace stores and to expand three locations, along with opening multiple fuel centers and remodeling existing properties. The growth initiative will create more than 1,700 full- and part-time career opportunities that offer competitive pay, healthcare plans, retirement options, product discounts and other incentives.

San Bernardino, Calif. — Stater Bros. has announced the opening of a new supermarket in Moreno Valley, Calif., on Nov. 13. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held in the parking lot at 8:15 a.m.

The 43,670-sq.-ft. store will be the fourth location for Stater Bros. in Moreno Valley.