Supermarket/Grocery

The Kroger Co. has broken its impressive record of 52 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth.    The supermarket giant on Thursday posted an unexpected decline in fourth-quarter same-store sales on Thursday amid ongoing food price deflation and increased competition.   Kroger’s net income fell to $506 million, or 53 cents per share, for the quarter ended Jan. 28, in line with estimates, and down from $559 million, or 57 cents per share, a year earlier.   

Ahold Delhaize’s Food Lion and Hannaford U.S. supermarkets had both strong fiscal fourth quarters and for fiscal 2016, the company stated in an earnings report. Volume growth was particularly strong, more than offsetting the impact of inflation on sales.   Underlying operating margins improved, driven by the “Easy, Fresh & Affordable” strategic initiative and synergies, said Ahold Delhaize.  

Privately-owned, family-operated Meijer announced plans to invest more than $375 million in new and remodeled stores in 2017 across its six-state footprint.    The investment includes the construction of seven new Meijer supercenters and 22 remodel projects. While Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin will each welcome new Meijer supercenters later this year, dozens of other Meijer stores have begun or will soon begin remodel projects to enhance the customer shopping experience.  

The asset disposition company A&G Realty has entered into a joint venture with a supermarket real estate veteran with the business proposition that better data analysis will help retailers be more proactive in managing real estate portfolios.  

Albertsons Companies is taking steps to help its buyers add new products to store shelves.   By adopting an online platform from RangeMe, buyers will gain an efficient way to discover innovative new products and manage the inbound product submission process. The solution supports buyers’ and suppliers’ efforts in finding relevant and trending products for customers, who then benefit from a broader selection of items to choose from in the aisle, the chain said.  

Publix Supermarkets’ sales and profit rose in the fourth quarter amid continued expansion.      Publix’s net earnings for the fourth quarter rose 4.5% to $544.5 million, from $521.1 million in the year-ago period.   Sales rose 11.1% to $9.1 billion. (The additional week in the fourth quarter of 2016 increased sales by 7.4%.) Same-store sales increased 2.2%.  

A record 68% of the U.S. population will make at least one purchase via a digital channel in 2017.    That’s according to eMarketer’s 2017 Retail Outlook, which projects another strong year for digital growth. The report forecasts that e-commerce sales will increase 16.0% in 2017 to $462.17 billion, while total retail sales will grow 3.5% to $5.01 trillion.  

A regional department store, a warehouse giant, a discount supermarket and an online powerhouse rank among the nation’s favorite retailers.    That's according to the American Consumer Satisfaction Index, which rates consumers’ satisfaction across six retail industries. The report found that satisfaction with the overall retail trade rise 4.7% in 2016 to a score of 78.3 (on a 100-point scale) an all-time high for the sector.  

Changes in the retail landscape call for changes in lease agreements, as well

With long-time anchors leaving malls, urgent care clinics moving into neighborhood centers, and online sellers applying pressure from all sides, retailers should take a new approach in structuring their lease agreements with property owners, say experts from both sides of the negotiations table.

The holidays did not bring much cheer for Target, which saw both sales and profit decline during the golden quarter. Worryingly, comparable sales fell at an accelerated pace, ending up at their most negative point for of the fiscal year. The one bit of sparkle in an otherwise dreary set of figures came from digital where sales grew by a stellar 34%, a pace of expansion well above online growth in the whole U.S. market.