Supermarket/Grocery

Orlando, Fla. -- Even though tropical storm Erika threatened Orlando, Florida, in advance of the ICSC Florida Deal-Making event earlier this month, attendees’ moods weren’t in the least dampened by the occasional rain showers. Attendance was strong and interest was high, as shopping center companies showed their wares to prospective tenants.

Social media plays an important role in the grocery shopping process. According to a new study from market research firm Packaged Facts, “Retail Food Marketing Trends in the U.S.: Technology, Mobile, and Social Media,” a majority of grocery store shoppers use social media to get recipes (59%).

Mobile customers of two discount Kroger grocery banners have a unique connection to Pope Francis’ U.S. visit.

DigitalFood, the free mobile app for Kroger's Food 4 Less and Foods Co. shoppers, is providing a free, mobile virtual reality viewing of Pope Francis' American trip and his canonization of Fr. Junipero Serra in Washington, D.C.

When it comes to keeping supply chain and logistics operations as efficient as possible, retailers are getting smart. Using centralized cloud platforms and business intelligence solutions, merchants can achieve real-time inventory awareness and supply chain operational data that improves overall front- and back-end performance.

Here are three examples:

Gap

Veteran J.C. Penney merchant John Tighe has been elevated to fill the role of executive VP and chief merchant held by Liz Sweney who is retiring.

The change, announced Sept. 23, was effective immediately. Tighe and Sweeney joined the company in 2002 and 2000, respectively, and Sweney served as chief merchant since March 2012. She will remain with the company in an advisory role through year end.

Smart & Final celebrated the one year anniversary of its public stock offering by telling investors a growth story about differentiation and new store expansion.
 
Smart & Final, a uniquely positioned operator of 266 warehouse style stores, has plans to open 100 new stores in the Western United States during the next four years. CEO Dave Hirz dropped that bombshell while he and other senior members of the company were at the New York Stock Exchange to ring the opening bell to commemorate the one year anniversary of the company’s listing.

Kroger’s annual Leadership Summit will begin in unconventional fashion when thousands of employees form a human breast cancer awareness ribbon Sept. 29 on the field of Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.

Marketing experts routinely advise retailers to send customers notifications, such as emails and texts, informing them of discounts or following up on purchases and site visits. But such notifications may be doing more harm than good.

Lessons in Leadership is the name of a new documentary film profiling the life and contributions of Food Lion co-founder Ralph Ketner who turned 95 this month.

Gelson’s Markets, which operates 18 full-service specialty grocery stores in Southern California, is supporting ambitious growth plans with a back-end technology upgrade. Gelson’s will implement JDA space and category management solutions to increase the efficiency and automation of its planning activities.