Supermarket/Grocery

Job losses are piling up in the retail industry amid ongoing store closings.    The retail industry experienced 11,669 job cuts in April, the highest total among all industries, bringing the year-to-date total to 50,133, according to a report released Thursday from global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That is up 36% from the 36,977 retail-sector job cuts announced in the first four months of 2016.   

Maus, Warwick, Matthews & Company have released the names of the first six tenants for a Walmart-shadowed center in Leland, North Carolina, just outside of Wilmington.   Petsense, Cricket Wireless, Miyabi Junior Express Japanese Hibachi, Complete Coastal Dentistry, Charlie Graingers barbecue, and Ganey, Byrd & Dunn Insurance will be the first to inhabit Westgate Marketplace. The 31,600-sq.-ft. center is 50% leased.  

Non-traditional grocery shopping methods are on the rise, but traditional supermarkets still are tops with consumers.   

Despite retailer efforts to deliver information, store employees still struggle to access the information needed to complete tasks.    In fact, 75% of decision makers said their employees frequently ask about procedures that are documented, and 73% indicated that critical information is scattered across many disparate locations.  

Same property net operating income during the first quarter was up 3.2% at Brixmor Property Group thanks to aggressive redevelopment efforts, said the company’s CEO.    "While the overall retail environment brought an increase in announced retail bankruptcies and store closings, our portfolio continued to benefit from healthy tenant demand, resulting in 1.9 million sq. ft. of new and renewal leases executed in the first quarter at blended comparable rent spreads of 16.4%," said James Taylor in a statement.

A grocery distributor and retailer is expanding its supply chain management team.   SpartanNash named Tom Lee as senior VP, supply chain. In his new role, he will be responsible for overseeing SpartanNash’s supply chain, logistics, transportation and inventory management departments.   

Food Lion has announced a $110 million investment in its stores as part of its ongoing remodeling initiative.      The chain announced it will remodel 71 stores in the greater Richmond, Va., market in 2017. Looking to make shopping easier and more affordable for its customers, the grocer said it will make a $110 million investment that includes remodeling the Richmond-area stores, additional price investments throughout the year and investments in associates and the community through its hunger relief initiative. 

Automation could drive Amazon’s grocery business in more ways than one.    Not only will a focus on automation prime the online giant’s AmazonFresh operation to disrupt the grocery industry, but it could also help the endeavor reach a breakeven point, according to CNBC.