Supermarket/Grocery

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation (NRF) has urged Congress to pass the bipartisan Save American Workers Act, which would change the Affordable Care Act’s definition of full-time employment from 30 hours per week to 40 hours. NRF sent a letter to the House saying all votes related to the bill, H.R. 2575, would be considered key votes for the association’s annual scorecard.

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Oak Brook, Ill. — Inland Real Estate Corporation has announced the acquisition of Mokena Marketplace in Mokena, Ill., an affluent suburb located within the Chicago metropolitan area for $13.7 million in cash.

New York -- Discount supermarket operator Aldi has acquired a 55-acre site in Moreno Valley, Calif., on which it will build its Southern California regional headquarters. The planned 800,000-sq.-ft. facility would serve as Aldi’s West Coast regional office and distribution center as it looks to expand into the Southern California market.

In December, Aldi announced plans to open 650 stores in the United States during the next five years.

By Mike Rozembajgier, VP, Stericycle

Hazardous waste management for retailers and retail pharmacies has entered a critical new phase that may change the rules governing what is considered waste and how to properly dispose of it.

New York – While attitudes haven't changed overwhelmingly since December 2013, some shifts in plans for the next six months may indicate that Americans are questioning their financial prospects during the next few months, according to a new Harris Poll. The survey of 2,234 U.S. adults shows that Americans are more likely than in December to say that they plan on decreasing their spending on eating out at restaurants (59%, up four points) within the next six months.

Cincinnati – The Kroger Co. is collaborating with EInfochips and Wincor-Nixdorf to introduce a new enterprise IT architecture called Retail Site Intelligence (RSI). This store uses ZigBee wireless mesh networks to integrate long battery life sensors, handheld devices, point-of-sale devices and video management software into a next-generation platform for retail applications such as loss prevention, store automation and analytics.

Cincinnati -- The Kroger Co. announced that senior VP Robert "Pete" Williams plans to retire in May after 37 years with the company.

Williams, who began his Kroger career in 1977 as a management trainee, has served in his current role since 2007. Currently, he leads seven supermarket divisions. His replacement will be named.