Supermarket/Grocery

The current school year is just ending, but consumers are already looking ahead to the fall.

According to a new survey of 300 U.S. adults who plan on leading their families’ back-to-school shopping efforts from social engagement firm CrowdTap, blogs and social media conversations rival traditional advertising formats (e.g. magazine circulars and TV ads) when it comes to what drives back-to-school purchases.

By removing manual effort from the checkout and cash management processes in stores, Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based supermarket chain Weis Markets Inc. is making shopping easier.

Weis Markets has signed an agreement with Balance Innovations to provide its vbScout self-checkout management solution in all stores offering self-checkout, as well as VeriBalance currency management software and vbInSight corporate reporting software in all 162 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey and West Virginia.

Several factors conspired to produce a drop in net income at Village Super Market Inc. during the third quarter of fiscal 2016, despite a slight bump in sales.

Net income was $5.88 million in the quarter, down 55% from $13.21 million in the third quarter of the previous fiscal year. The prior year period including a net gain from the recovery of insurance receivables related to Superstorm Sandy and a tax benefit a result of a settlement with the New Jersey Division of Taxation.

Henry Ford Health System, a six-hospital system headquartered here, and Kroger on Wednesday announced a new partnership designed to answer common dietary health questions and help consumers eat and shop healthier.

Henry Ford LiveWell Wednesdays debuts June 1 at all 126 Kroger stores throughout Michigan. Every Wednesday, Henry Ford will provide Kroger shoppers with a healthy recipe developed by registered dietitian nutritionists. Shoppers will receive a brochure including a list of all ingredients needed for the recipe and a link to a video cooking demonstration.

Ahold USA first quarter sales were up 4% to $8.2 billion. Excluding gas, sales increased 4.1% at constant exchange rates. The addition of 25 A&P stores in the New York Metro market in fourth quarter 2015 was the main contributor to the overall sales growth and resulted in an overall market share improvement in both dollars and volume, Ahold reported.

Ahold USA first quarter sales were up 4% to $8.2 billion. Excluding gas, sales increased 4.1% at constant exchange rates. The addition of 25 A&P stores in the New York Metro market in fourth quarter 2015 was the main contributor to the overall sales growth and resulted in an overall market share improvement in both dollars and volume, Ahold reported.

It’s going to take some getting used to. That’s one of retail consultant Neil Stern’s first impressions of the new 365 by Whole Foods Market format, which made its national debut on Wednesday,  in Los Angeles. The store combines elements of a Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Sports,  Stern said in a report by Forbes.
 

For anyone looking at the current state of retail in the Midwest, one of the most fascinating things to track is how some of the macro trends we see in the marketplace today are the end result of years (sometimes decades) of evolutionary change.
 

Temperatures in the East will be somewhat similar to last year while the West will trend cooler than last year. Rainfall will be greater across the Northwest, meanwhile across the Ohio Valley and interior Northeast, we may begin to see the start of a long-term drying trend.