Supermarket/Grocery

The Kroger Co. is looking to extend its share of consumers' food dollars — this time, however, it’s aiming for the dollars spent on meals outside the home.    The supermarket retailer is opening its first-ever full-service restaurant, which will be located next to Kroger's new Marketplace store in Union, Kentucky. In a nod to the year Kroger was founded, the restaurant will be called Kitchen 1883. It will open in late October.   

Phillips Edison & Company has acquired a center anchored by Mariano’s grocery in the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates.   The 159,443-sq.-ft. Hoffman Village was left two-thirds vacant when Dominick’s closed in 2011, but the emergence of Mariano’s Fresh Market, owned and operated by Roundy’s, returned occupancy back to 94%, according to former owner NewQuest.  

The National Retail Federation is once again making the case for a new federal law on data breach notifications.   Citing the recent breach at the Equifax credit reporting agency, National Retail Federation and other industry associations are telling Congress that any new federal law on data breach notification should apply to all industries that handle consumer data.   

Digital's influence on grocery overall has nearly doubled year over year, and is now impacting the in-store experience.  

Face-to-face human contact is not necessary for a brand to make a strong connection with consumers.   

It only took seven days for Amazon to begin reaping the benefits of its acquisition of Whole Foods Market.  

The Fresh Market has ended its search for a new chief executive.   The grocer appointed Larry Appel as the company’s president and CEO, effective immediately. Appel brings nearly 30 years of experience in retail, legal and corporate strategy, and most recently served as CEO of Skeeter Snacks. From 2002 to 2012, he served at Winn-Dixie Stores in a variety of senior leadership roles including COO. Prior to that, he was senior VP of legal at The Home Depot.  

Walmart is stepping up its hurricane relief efforts.   The discount giant announced that it will donate up to $10 million in additional support for 2017 hurricane relief efforts in the United States, a move that will bring Walmart’s total commitment to hurricane relief efforts this year to $30 million. This additional support comes on the heels of donations already provided in response to Hurricane Harvey that hit the Gulf region less than three weeks ago.  

Discount stores and traditional supermarkets are U.S. shoppers' most popular choices when it comes to buying food. At least for the time being.   Nearly all — 99% — of adults buy some or all of their groceries in-person, according to a survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers. The immediate access to products (71%) and the ability to select fresh meat, dairy and produce (70%) were the top reasons driving in-store shopping, along with the ability to see all other items in person (69%).   

Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods Market appears to be paying off for both parties.    The e-commerce giant has seen a spike in its online grocery sales since it acquired Whole Foods Market, according to a report by Bloomberg, which noted that the online giant immediately put about 2,000 items on its site from Whole Foods' 365 Everyday Value private brand, and sold out of almost all of the most-popular items.