Supermarket/Grocery

Kroger on hiring spree
The Kroger Co. is hiring to fill an estimated 10,000 permanent positions in its supermarket divisions. The company also announced that its total active workforce grew by more than 12,000 associates in 2016. Over the last eight years, Kroger has created more than 86,000 permanent, new jobs. (The total does not include jobs created as a result of capital investment, such as temporary construction jobs, nor do they include increases due to the company's mergers. Kroger and its subsidiaries today employ more than 443,000 associates.
Whole Foods Market bringing value format to Northeast
Whole Foods Market has announced the first Northeast location for its streamlined and value-oriented 365 by Whole Foods Market concept. The retailer will open a 365 store in Brooklyn, New York, in the Fort Greene neighborhood, not far from the Barclay Center. The opening date was not announced. Whole Foods debuted the 365 format in 2016, and has opened three locations to date, in Silver Lake, Calif; Bellevue, Wash., and Lake Oswego, Oregon.

Report: Retailers lag in digital transformation

Nearly half of retailer leaders will be out of business if they don’t transform themselves digitally. This is according to “Reinventing Retail: Cisco Reveals How Stores Can Surge Ahead on the Digital Transformation Journey,” a study based on data from 200 retail executives from North and South America and regions of Europe. Companies represent brick-and-mortar retailers, e-commerce, apparel manufacturers, food service and other segments of retail.
Target exec returns home to Supervalu

Supervalu has appointed Anne Dament to senior VP of retail, merchandising and marketing, effective immediately. Dament is a 25-year retail veteran who began her career at Supervalu. She most recently served as senior VP, president of merchandising for Target Corp., where she oversaw food merchandising for its grocery business, including perishables, non-perishables, food service and private-label brands.
Target cuts forecast on sluggish holiday sales

Another retailer is reporting a less-than-stellar holiday. Target Corp. on Wednesday cut its guidance for the fourth quarter and year on the heels of a 1.3% decline in same-store sales in November and December. (Total sales for the combined month decreased 4.9%, reflecting the impact of the December 2015 sale of the company’s pharmacy and clinic businesses.)
Shopper-Pathways ‘Heatmaps’ Can Identify Marketing Opportunities

When retailers and architects design store layouts, beyond designing for aesthetics they attempt to control the path that shoppers take through the store. Ideally, shoppers follow the most convenient path to find the products they seek, one that is lucrative for the retailer and that gives shoppers the opportunity to notice the maximum number of products during their time in store.
Andersons exits the retail business

After a 65-year run, The Andersons is leaving the retail business, closing its four big-box stores in Ohio.
Phillips Edison names Wik senior VP of acquisitions

Phillips Edison & Company, a leading national player in grocery-anchored centers, has promoted David Wik to senior VP of acquisitions. In his past six years with the company, most recently spearheading growth in the Southeast, Wik sourced the acquisition of more than 100 assets representing $1 billion-plus in investments for the company’s several REITs. He previously worked in acquisitions at Midland Atlantic Development.
Walmart in new jobs commitment

Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer with nearly 1.5 million associates, plans to add 10,000 new retail jobs in its upcoming fiscal year, which begins on February 1, 2017. The discounter says the new jobs will be created through the opening of 59 new, expanded and relocated Walmart and Sam’s Club facilities as well as e-commerce services.
NRF launches job training initiative

The NRF Foundation has brought together leading retailers and non-profits to launch a job training and credentialing initiative called Rise Up (Retail Industry Skills & Education). The program is designed to help people — regardless of education, background, economic means or age — acquire the skills they need to secure jobs in retail and advance into promising careers in every aspect of retail, from in-store to digital and mobile commerce, according to the NRF.
Clarion acquires Boston-area center

New York-based Clarion Partners has acquired Brookside Shops, a Trader Joe’s-anchored center in Acton, Massachusetts. The company did not disclose the purchase price. “Brookside Shops is a well-positioned retail center with excellent fundamentals located in a highly affluent trade area,” said Clarion director Gary Rufrano.
Supermarket giant upgrades wireless network with Verizon

Ahold USA can now boost it has “smarter stores” for its increasingly connected consumers. The supermarket giant has rolled out a new wireless platform from Verizon Enterprise Solutions across its divisions, which include Stop & Shop New England, Stop & Shop New York Metro, Giant Landover, and Giant Carlisle, The platform has resulted in a digitally rich in-store experience for the grocer’s smartphone-using shoppers.