Supermarket/Grocery

Most retailers now have some sort of social presence, but too often it consists of having an account on popular social media networks and little more. Following are five examples of recent retail social media offerings that leverage social media’s unique ability to engage consumers, improve operations and boost profits.

American Eagle – ‘Rock Your Walk’

New York -- Shoppers in the United States are most likely to combine online and in-person sources when buying consumer electronics (70%), toys (66%), apparel (58%), and home appliances (57%), according to a new study by Gfk. At the low end of the omnichannel spectrum in the United States are cleaning products (14%), OTC medications (15%), and food and beverages (15%).

The study shows that, across 12 categories, 37% of U.S. shoppers – and 29% globally – are turning to both online and in-store shopping when making purchases.

Harris Teeter’s shareholders voted to approve the previously announced merger agreement among Harris Teeter, Hornet Acquisition and Kroger.

Approximately 98.6% of the votes cast were in favor of the agreement, representing approximately 82.5% of Harris Teeter’s outstanding common stock as of Aug. 22.

Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Costco take top spots in ranking; Amazon continues to move up

City of Commerce, Calif. – 99 Cents Only Stores is opening its first store in Maricopa, Ariz., on Oct. 10. The new store is approximately 11,615 sq. ft. and will feature a perishable food department, including produce, dairy and frozen foods.

99 Cents Only currently operates 331 retail stores consisting of 238 stores in California, 44 in Texas, 32 in Arizona, and 17 in Nevada.
 

Stater Bros. has announced that VP of real estate Mike Slaton passed away suddenly on Saturday, Sept. 28. He was 51 years old.

As a tribute to Slaton, the 44,000-sq.-ft. Stater Bros. supermarket that opened recently in Redlands, Calif., will be dedicated in his honor.  
 

Doubling your store count is the type of growth most retailers seek. So 38-unit, Louisiana-based grocery retailer Rouses didn’t complain back in 2007 when it upped its store count in Louisiana and Mississippi from 15 to 32 by purchasing the regional Sav-A-Center chain from A&P. However, for a family-owned business that had previously grown organically, this sudden spurt in its number and distribution of stores created a few issues.

Supermarket chain Raley's is teaming up with a web portal that offers discounts to members of the chain's loyalty card program.

Aisle50 announced the partnership with the California-based chain, which will offer it at all its 120 Raley's Bel Air and Nob Hill Foods locations. Aisle50 works by allowing customers to purchase items online and then pick them up in the store, receiving discounts using their loyalty cards.