Supermarket/Grocery

Boston -- EnerNOC said Tuesday that Ahold USA will deploy EnerNoc’s EfficiencySmart Insight in the majority of its Stop & Shop, Giant Food of Maryland, and Giant/Martin’s grocery stores.

WASHINGTON — Retail spending for the month of May experienced a slight drop of 0.2% to $387.1 billion, though the advanced estimates noted that May sales were 7.7% higher than the year-ago period, the U.S. Census Bureau said Tuesday.

The government agency also reported that total sales for the March through May period were up 7.5% from the same period a year ago.

Minneapolis -- Grocery Shopping Network announced Tuesday the launch of a new mobile apps program for Coborn’s and Cashwise stores. The new program is compatible with iPhone and Android smartphones and allows shoppers to view circular specials, in-store specials, recipes, and mobile offers based on this week’s deals from their mobile phone.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Tuesday by the Commerce Department showed that total U.S. retail sales fell 0.2% in May, a less-than-forecast dip following April’s 0.3% gain. It was the first drop in 11 months. Excluding autos, retail sales rose 0.3% last month, the smallest gain since July 2010.

Some companies were more aggressive with promotions last months and others were less so, but Target held steady producing the same number of circular ad pages (109) in May 2011, and it did the same month the prior year, according to data collected by the Chicago based firm Market Track.

New York City -- Amazon.com said Friday that it would drop its online affiliates in Arkansas in response to a new state law that would have required the online retailer to start charging sales tax, the Associated Press reported.

Lawmakers passed a bill earlier this year to require out-of-state online retailers such as Amazon to collect sales tax from customers if their annual sales in the state exceed $10,000.

CINCINNATI — Kroger has named Reuben Shaffer chief diversity officer, effective immediately. Shaffer will report to Kroger's chairman and CEO, David Dillon.

Shaffer, 60, has been serving as the VP retail operations for the Cincinnati/Dayton division. He began his career with Kroger in 1988 and has held various leadership positions in the organization.

King of Prussia, Pa. -- O’Neill Properties Group announced that Bass Pro Shops  has signed a letter of intent for a 200,000-sq.-ft. store at The Point, in Sayreville, N.J., one of the largest new mixed use developments in the United States.