Supermarket/Grocery

An uptick in college student enrollment will give a big boost to retailers' second biggest shopping season.    Combined back-to-school and back-to-college spending is projected to reach $83.6 billion, up more than 10% from last year’s $75.8 billion, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics.   

Walmart is making it easier for parents to stay on their game during this year's back-to-school shopping season.   According to the National Retail Federation, this year's season is expected to be a strong one and start early. Walmart is rolling out new services to help shoppers easily find what they are looking for — in stores and online.  

The queue-free checkout is dominating retail headlines these days. Amazon's recent deal with Whole Foods Market, when combined with the online giant's visionary Amazon Go concept, has everyone imagining a new and improved process across the organic chain’s hundreds of stores.   

The Marketplace at Potomoc Towne Center in Ranson, West Virginia, has been acquired for $35.9 million by Heidenberg Properties Group and Strategic Real Estate Partners (SERP) in a joint venture deal. The seller was Carl Freeman Companies of Rockville, Maryland.  

Consumers are feeling so positive about Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods Market that more plan to shop there in the future.   This was according to the “Amazon Shopper Sentiment Report” from ChargeItSpot. The study collected responses from over 900 shoppers at malls across the country, using its integrated survey capability, QuickPoll.  

The Kroger Co. has named a veteran of discount grocer Aldi to Kroger's own low-cost division.    Kroger on Wednesday appointed Liz Ferneding as president of Ruler, effective July 31. She succeeds Paul Bowen, who retired in May.  

In the age of evolving consumer preferences enabled by digital technologies, customers continue demanding convenience and ease of use while shopping online. Additionally, they want instant gratification of purchasing items in the store and, increasingly, a combination of the two. To this effect, the buy online, pickup in store (BOPIS) option, or click and collect experience, has become a key component of customer satisfaction, loyalty and revenue growth.  

Amazon has won the right to sell groceries in India.   The online giant currently sells groceries in India through a local partner. But it recently secured government approval to stock and sell its own food items, reported the Nikkei Asian Review.