Large Chains

LAKELAND, Fla. — For the eighth consecutive year, Publix has been named as one of IDG’s Computerworld top workplaces for information technology professionals, the grocer announced Monday.

CARLISLE, Pa. — The Federal Trade Commission has approved Giant Food Stores' proposal to acquire 15 Genuardi's stores from Safeway.

The news follows Giant's Jan. 5 announcement that it would acquire the Genuardi's stores, all of which are located in the greater Philadelphia market. Giant also noted that under the terms of a consent order approved by the FTC, the Genuardi's located in Newtown, Pa., will be purchased by Newtown Market and will be operated as a McCaffrey's supermarket.

New York -- Tesco PLC is leaving the Japanese retail market after nine years. The company will sell 50% of Tesco Japan to Aeon Co., Japan’s largest retail group.

Tesco said it will form a joint venture with Aeon and invest £40 million ($63 million), then sell the remaining 50% to Aeon at a later date.

CINCINNATI — Fuel sales at Kroger helped drive the company's total sales up 5.8% to $29.1 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2012 from $27.5 billion for the same period last year. Total sales, excluding fuel, increased 4.3% over the same period last year.

Identical supermarket sales, without fuel, increased 4.2% in the first quarter over the same period last year, marking the 34 consecutive quarters of positive identical supermarket sales for Kroger.

Unfazed by Walmart’s resurgent customer traffic and same-store sales rebound, the nation’s second largest grocer this week hung its 34 consecutive quarter of identical-store sales growth on the board.

Cincinnati -- The Kroger Co. reported Thursday that net income in the first quarter rose to $439.4 million, from $432.3 million last year.

The operator of namesake stores as well as Ralphs, Food 4 Less and others, also said it authorized a $1 billion share buyback.

Sales during the period were $29.06 billion, up from $27.46 billion last year but missing Wall Street’s expected $29.16 billion. Same-store sales rose 4.2%, the grocer’s 34th straight quarter of growth.

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets has closed on its purchase of three former Genuardi's stores and is slated to reopen them this weekend.

In advance of these store openings on June 16, located in Conshohocken, Doylestown and East Norristown, Pa., Weis said it will reopen each store's pharmacy Monday at 12 noon to minimize prescription service disruption.

Weis added that it has hired 218 former Genuardi employees and has added 150 positions, which will allow each store to double the number of cashiers it employs and increase front-end service.

Sunbury, Pa. -- Weis Markets has closed on its purchase of three former Genuardi's stores and is slated to reopen them on June 16.

Ahead of the three openings -- in Conshohocken, Doylestown and East Norristown, Pa. – Weis said it opened each store's pharmacy Monday at noon to minimize prescription service disruption.

 

One of the biggest gripes residents of Northwest Arkansas have of the region, be they long time residents or recent transplants, is that Walmart is the only game in town when it comes to groceries. That situation will change later this summer when The Fresh Market opens its first location in Rogers.

FULLERTON, Calif. — A store-level workforce reduction is planned for Albertsons' Southern California division.