Supermarket/Grocery

Cincinnati – David B. Dillon will step down as CEO of The Kroger Co. effective Jan. 1, 2014. Dillon, 62, is a 37-year Kroger veteran who has been serving as CEO since 2003; he will remain chairman of the board.

Plymouth Meeting, Pa. — J.Crew Factory, which offers still fashionable apparel from past J.Crew collections, plans to open a 6,100-sq.-ft. store in The Plaza Shops at Plymouth Meeting Mall this fall.

Anchored by Macy’s and Boscov’s, Plymouth Meeting Mall offers more than 100 specialty retailers. Whole Foods Market and Café anchors The Plaza Shops extension of the mall. Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust www.preit.com owns, manages and leases the property.

Boulder, Col. -- Publix Pharmacy is North America’s favorite based on customer satisfaction, according to a new study of 3,600 consumers conducted by customer intelligence solutions provider Market Force Information. Target was a close second and Kroger ranked third. All three received high marks in operational attributes such as service, cleanliness, atmosphere and checkout times.

Walgreens and CVS/pharmacy ranked the highest when those consumers were asked to name their pharmacy chain, with 18% identifying Walgreens and 17% CVS.  

Phoenix -- Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has completed the implementation of the Manthan Systems ARC BI platform and merchandise analytics technology in 166 retail stores across eight states.

Austin, Texas – Whole Foods Market is launching an in-store meat apprenticeship program for its team members. The intensive 18-month training program is designed to transform aspiring butchers into skilled meat cutters and teach them the company's standards for quality, animal welfare, food safety, and sanitation.

Pleasanton, Calif. -- Safeway Inc. announced that it has adopted a one-year stockholder rights plan, or a “poison pill,” to discourage an unfriendly takeover.

The company adopted the plan after it became aware that unnamed investors had accumulated “a significant amount” of its stock. The investor turned out to be hedge fund company Jana Partners, which disclosed in a filing that it has accumulated a 6.2% stake in the supermarket retailer.

Ottawa, Ontario -- The Canadian government is reportedly seeking to boost penalties for retailers caught using “zapper” software that can delete or modify transactional data in electronic POS systems to illegally hide sales.

St. Petersburg, Fla. -- HSN has appointed Matthew Rubel, senior advisor with TPG Capital, to its board of directors.

Rubel previously served as chairman, president and CEO of Collective Brands, where he worked from 2005-2011. Before that, his executive roles included serving as president and CEO of Cole Haan from 1999 to 2005, as well as serving as executive VP of J. Crew Group and CEO of Popular Club Plan.