Supermarket/Grocery

Market Track compared retail circular advertising in March 2016 vs. March 2015 and noted trends occurring across top retail chains.

Lowe’s Home Improvement had denser March print circulars with twice the ads per page and nearly 80 additional ads per drop. Lowe’s shifted the Spring Black Friday sale to the 3/31 drop; up from first week of May 2015.

Home depot did not counter this shift through print, but promoted Spring Black Friday on their website.

Shoppers may be using EMV-compliant, chip-enabled payment cards, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they like them.

Business research firm Field Agent recently conducted an audit of 100 chip processing systems at leading retailers Costco, CVS Health, Home Depot, Kroger, Lowes, Target, Walgreens and Walmart. It also undertook a survey of 300 consumers who use chip cards. In the survey, only 37% of the respondents reported a preference for EMV cards over the swiping variety; 63% said they would rather swipe a card than insert a chip card.

Many retailers are adding restaurants and even bars to enhance the shopping experience. Going forward, Kohl’s will not be one of them.

After a seven-month test, the retailer has decided to shutter the cafes it opened in its two of its stores in Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Business Journal reported.

Kroger showed its tendency to promote longtime executives to key senior leadership roles again with the naming of a 32 year veteran to serve as president of its 138 store Smith’s division based in Salt Lake City.
 
Kenny Kimball was elevated to the role of president of Smith’s after previously serving as VP of operations. Kimball joined Smith’s in 1984 as a courtesy clerk and succeeds Jay Cummins who announced his retirement in February. Kimball assumes his new responsibilities April 30.
 

Rite Aid on Friday reported revenues of $8.3 billion for its fourth quarter ended Feb. 27, representing an increase of 20.8%. Retail Pharmacy Segment revenues were $6.8 billion and decreased 0.3% compared to the prior year period primarily as a result of a decrease in same-store sales. Pharmacy Services Segment revenues were $1.5 billion.
 

Jill Turner-Mitchael, SVP overseeing health and wellness for Sam’s Club, was the keynote speaker at the Northwest Arkansas Council’s Health Care Summit in Rogers on Wednesday, April 6, Talk Business and Politics reported Thursday.

Whole Foods Market will take the wraps off its new value concept, 365 by Whole Foods Market, on May 25 in Silver Lake, California.

Two additional 365 locations will open in 2016 – in Bellevue, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. Up to 10 stores are expected to open in 2017.

Kroger showed its tendency to promote longtime executives to key senior leadership roles again with the naming of a 32 year veteran to serve as president of its 138 store Smith’s division based in Salt Lake City.

Kenny Kimball was elevated to the role of president of Smith’s after previously serving as VP of operations. Kimball joined Smith’s in 1984 as a courtesy clerk and succeeds Jay Cummins who announced his retirement in February. Kimball assumes his new responsibilities April 30.

A new ad campaign from Food Lion, airing in select markets, promotes the message that the retailer has raised its standards, but not its prices.

The new campaign plays on familiar themes in the grocery industry — convenience, freshness, price and trust — and is designed to support Food Lion’s effort to upgrade the store experience in key markets, where major remodeling and remerchandising efforts have occurred.

Thrive Market, a fast-growing fee-based online retailer that sells organic groceries, is expanding. According to TechCrunch, the company offers members wholesale prices and two-day shipping for $1.95 per order, or free for orders of more than $49. To read more, click here.