Supermarket/Grocery

Seattle — AmazonFresh recently launched a new tool called the Amazon Dash that allows users to scan items or speak the items aloud as part of a new way to shop for groceries without having to go into the store or shop online.

Mumbai, India – Leading Indian political party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said in its official election manifesto that it will ban all foreign direct investment into the Indian supermarket sector if it wins a majority stake in the upcoming parliamentary election. BJP is widely expected to take majority control of parliament and the prime minister seat in India’s May 2014 elections.

Sylmar, Calif. – A new Vallarta Supermarkets store opens in Hesperia, Calif., on April 9. The 42,000-sq.-ft. location will offer specialty departments including a bakery, full-service meat counter, fresh produce, a hot food deli (Taqueria) with in-store dining, a shuttle service and a customer service department that offers check cashing, money transfers and utility bill payments.

Fredericton, Canada -- Plaza Retail REIT plans six new Canadian retail projects: four new re-developments and two new ground-up development projects. Four projects are located in Quebec, one in Atlantic Canada and one in Ontario.

In all, Plaza will be investing approximately $24 million for its share of these six new projects and will add approximately 155,000-sq.-ft. to its portfolio of retail properties (at Plaza's ownership percentage). The Ontario project and three Quebec projects are being developed with joint venture partners.

Cary, N.C. -- The board of directors of The Pantry Inc. has elected Thomas W. "Tad" Dickson, former chairman and CEO of Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc., to serve as chairman of the board of directors. He replaces Edwin J. Holman, who was chairman of the board since September 2009.

Ottawa, Canada -- Greg Soussloff has joined 360pi as VP of customer value. Soussloff brings 20 years of sales and sales management experience to this role.

Prior to joining 360pi, Greg was the U.S. senior director for retail and consumer goods for SAS’ Americas division, where he helped in securing enterprise agreements with retailers and consumer goods companies including Macy’s, eBay, Nike, Kellogg, Wal-Mart and Nestle. Soussloff will be located in Dallas, as part of 360pi’s U.S. presence.

New York -- Consumers worldwide are increasingly using multi-platform devices, especially mobile, to enhance their in-store shopping experience, according to a study by global digital and technology agency DigitasLBi.

In the study, "Connected Commerce: A Snapshot of the Modern Shopper,” 71% of Americans say that using a mobile phone while shopping inside a store could affect their buying decisions.

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.