Supermarket/Grocery

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Amazon.com was the top performer in a review of the Top 100 online retailers by ForeSee Results. The annual report, Top 100 E-Retail Satisfaction Index, includes individual satisfaction scores with the 100 top e-retailers for the past seven years, allowing for comparisons over time and between companies.

Brooksville, Fla. -- Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency Centers said it has leased retail space to two new tenants in Brooksville, Fla., at Suncoast Crossing.

Sprint has leased 1,750 sq. ft., and Gia’s Cakes & Goodies has leased 1,400 sq. ft.

Both are slated to open this summer.

The 260,000-sq.-ft. shopping center is anchored by a 142,000-sq.-ft. Target and a 98,000-sq.-ft. Kohl’s alongside national retailers such as Supercuts and McDonald’s.
 

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Supervalu banner Save-A-Lot has appointed a new leader, replacing company veteran Bill Shaner, who has lead the division since 2006.

Washington, D.C. -- Retail sales rose 0.5% in April after a 0.9% increase in March, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. It was the tenth straight increase and came as consumers spent more on gasoline, clothing and autos in April.

Much of the gain in April, however, came from a surge in gasoline and food prices. Excluding a 2.7% jump in gasoline sales, the increase was a much smaller 0.2%.

Grocery stores sales jumped 1.5% -- triple the March increase. That partly reflected higher food prices.

Eden Prairie, Minn. -- Supervalu has named Santiago Roces, a former Wal-Mart Stores executive, as the CEO and president of its discount Save-A-Lot division. Roces, who most recently served as senior VP and general manager of Wal-Mart's small-format division, replaces Bill Shaner, who led Save-A-Lot since 2006 and worked for Supervalu for 27 years.

Supervalu it plans to double the number of Save-A-Lot stores, growing it to more than 2,400 locations by the end of 2015.

WASHINGTON — U.S. retail sales rose for the 10th consecutive month in April, increasing 0.5% to $389.4 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday.

The government agency also disclosed retail sales experienced a 7.6% jump above the year-ago period. Across retail sectors, grocery stores during April rose 1.5% to nearly $45.9 million, up from $45.3 million in March, while health and personal care stores, which have experienced positive numbers over the past several months, saw a surprise drop of 0.3% to nearly $22.7 million for the month.

Salisbury, N.C. -- Food Lion has opened its third LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified store, in Hope Mills, N.C.

“By building our third LEED grocery store, we will reduce energy costs by more than 20% compared to a typical supermarket, as well as conserve 40% more water than other Food Lion stores,” said Kyle Mitchell, VP of store development for Delhaize America South. “Food Lion has one of the most advanced retail energy conservation programs in the country.”

Purchase, N.Y. -- Excluding auto sales, total retail sales in April 2011 grew by 8.8% year-over-year, stronger than March’s growth rate, and substantially higher than the average 7.1% year-to-year growth rate of the previous quarter, according to MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse, a macroeconomic report tracking national retail and service sales.