Supermarket/Grocery

All eyes will be on Walmart’s new CEO Doug McMillon next week when the company reports worse-than-expected fourth quarter results on Thursday, and McMillon makes his first public comments since becoming CEO.

McMillon is no stranger to providing financial updates during the company’s pre-recorded earnings calls, investor conferences and analysts’ meetings. He performed those duties on numerous occasions during the past decade while serving as president and CEO of Walmart International and president and CEO of Sam’s Club before that.

With usage of electronic cigarettes on the rise, a new study by e-cig manufacturer Mistic contends the majority of Americans are not opposed to second hand vapor.
 

Stater Bros. reported a substantial increase in net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2014 and credited its long-time low-price strategy for its sales growth.

Meijer has upgraded its fashion offering to challenge national retailers in the apparel and accessories space.

The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer touts itself as a pioneer of the one-stop shopping concept, but it said in a release that it is best known for its produce and meat departments. The company, therefore, has taken steps to upgrade its fashion offerings, not only by stocking a variety of on-trend merchandise, but also creating a dedicated fashion website and launching a social media initiative to promote their upgraded apparel and accessories category.

Kroger has purchased the assets of You Technology Brand Services, a Silicon Valley-based platform of digital coupons and promotions.

Residents of the Washington, D.C., metro area can now have products ordered from supermarket operator Harris Teeter delivered within the hour following Instacart’s entry into the market.

Instacart’s network of personal shoppers began delivering items ordered from Harris Teeter on Feb. 11. The service provider expects to add other retailers in the coming weeks which would allow shoppers to combine items from multiple stores in a single order and have them delivered in as little as one hour.

Stater Bros. has named Michael Reed as the company’s senior director of real estate.

"We have great confidence that Michael will do an outstanding job of leading our real estate division," said chairman and CEO Jack H. Brown. "His management and real estate expertise will help Stater Bros. meet our present and future real estate needs."

Supervalu plans to host its first-ever national sales expo, Sales 4 All Seasons, this summer.