Large Chains

Redlands, Calif. -- Esri announced Wednesday that the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. has licensed Esri GIS technology and data to provide localized shopping trends data toward supporting the grocer’s commitment to growing its market presence across the Northeast.

Philadelphia -- Metro Commercial Real Estate said that David’s Bridal will open an 8,164-sq.-ft. store at Great Northeast Plaza, located in the northeastern part of Philadelphia.

The new store is slated to open by spring 2013.

London -- Tesco CEO Philip Clarke announced Wednesday that the British supermarket retailer will likely sell or close its entire U.S. presence, which means that 199 Fresh & Easy stores could be shuttered or sold off.

According to multiple reports, Tesco is close to making the decision after five unprofitable years in the U.S. The retailer launched the concept in 2007, confident there was a niche for a grocery store with fresh food offerings formatted in a unique footprint that was smaller than a typical supermarket but larger than a c-store.

The review of strategic alternatives remains ongoing at Supervalu despite reports about discussions breaking down with one prospective investor.

Cincinnati -- Kroger Co. reported Thursday that net income for the quarter ended Nov. 3 rose to $316.5 million, compared with $195.9 million in the year-ago period.

Total sales rose 6% to $21.81 billion, beating Wall Street’s expected revenue of $21.55 billion.

Same-store sales rose 3.2%.

Rapidly growing food retailer The Fresh Market experienced a bit of a hiccup with its third quarter results, but president and CEO Craig Carlock contends the company’s long term vision remains intact.

Sales at the 128 unit retailer increased 22.1% to $321.5 million and profits increased 19% to $10.9 million, but analysts were looking for stronger profits and lower expenses. Some also believed the company’s relatively young store base should have produced a same store sales increase stronger than the 5.6% figure the company reported.

San Antonio -- The grocery industry, for the most part, lags in using online shopper insights for shopper and competitive advantage, according to a study developed in partnership with BeaconUnited, a national grocery broker, and ArchPoint Consulting, and powered by business intelligence firm Black Pearl Intelligence. Grocery-related social media conversations are now estimated at 10 million annually, yet many grocers are still slow to respond, the study found.

Mystery shopper reports served as a wake-up call to Kroger’s 131-store Fred Meyer division.

In 2009, Fred Meyer stores scored a meager 68.3% in overall customer impression in the reports. But over the past three years, the number has jumped to 83.8%, according to data provided by Reality Check of Seattle, the retailer’s secret shopper service provider.

BRADFORD, U.K. — Walmart took home an award for its private-label pet food package design at the Store Brand Decisions third annual Retailer Innovation Awards. The package label for Pure Balance was created by Parker Williams, Sun Branding Solutions’ creative design agency.

Minneapolis -- Supervalu on Friday said it would implement a pay freeze for all employees at its corporate headquarters and said it would also reduce or suspend matching contributions to workers’ 401(k) plans, effective next year.