Supermarket/Grocery

Brookshire Grocery makes marketing personal with SAP
Tyler, Texas – Millennials are gaining buying power, and a substantial shift to Millennials in the retail marketplace will occur by 2020. For 152-store supermarket retailer Brookshire Grocery Co., the time to start reacting to this developing change is now.

“We needed to figure out how to market to this customer base and make it relevant to them,” said John D’Anna, senior VP and CIO of Brookshire Grocery.
Walmart to acquire only 13 Target locations in Canada
When Target pulled out of Canada, it was widely expected that Walmart would snap up some of Target's locations. But Walmart has decided to acquire only 13 stores, in a deal worth $136 million.

Walmart announced it has reached agreements to acquire one distribution center, 12 store leases and one owned property in Canada. The retailer says it expects to invest another $153 million to renovate the 13 stores and distribution center, bringing Walmart’s total investment to approximately $289 million.

Sprouts grows same store sales again

Sprouts Farmers Market cited strong top-line sales growth as among the reasons for the retailer’s 4.8% comp increase for the first quarter.

Net sales for the first quarter ended March 29 were $857.5 million, a 19% increase compared to the same period in 2014. Net sales growth was driven by strong performance in new stores opened and a 4.8% increase in same store sales growth, the company said.
Schnuck Markets to build state-of-art DC

St. Louis -- Schnuck Markets will begin construction of a new estimated $100 million, state-of-the-art distribution center at NorthPark in Kinloch in north St. Louis County. The 915,000-sq.-ft. center is expected to be completed in summer 2016.
Visa: Retail spending up 4.5%

San Francisco -- Americans modestly increased their spending in April, with growth across most major purchase categories, according to Visa’s Retail Spending Monitor (RSM), a quarterly report that tracks retail spending patterns based on real-time purchase data. Retail spending in April was up 4.5% from the prior year, excluding automobile and gasoline purchases.
Whole Foods to debut new store concept in 2016 targeting millenials

Austin, Texas -- Whole Foods Market on Wednesday announced plans to debut a new store format targeted at millenials. The company said the stores are expected to begin opening next year, and the expansion will be “fairly rapid.” It did not reveal the name of the new banner.
DLC Management partners with LOC Card for customer loyalty

Tarrytown, N.Y. -- DLC Management Corporation, a national owner and operator of open-air shopping centers, announced its new partnership with LOC Card, a universal card that supports merchants’ existing loyalty programs.

With LOC Card, consumers can now use one card across all participating merchants at their preferred DLC shopping center to access and engage with each merchant’s loyalty program. The LOC Card replaces that key ring full of loyalty card key tags and streamlines the process, saving time at the register.
Whole Foods targets Millennials with new store concept

Whole Foods Market set another sales record in the second quarter – but that’s not enough for the grocery chain, which announced it is launching a new store concept targeted to the Millennial shopper.
Study: 72% of grocery shoppers would prefer discounts on groceries instead of gas

Cincinnati -- Grocery shoppers have a resounding message for grocery retailers who have been enticing them with fuel rewards for over a decade: Fuel rewards alone aren’t winning their loyalty. Grocery discounts are the new value driver.
Smart & Final Stores posts Q1 profit; 16 new stores on tap

Commerce, Calif. -- Smart & Final Stores Inc. reported earnings of $4.9 million in its first quarter, compared with a profit of $2.5 million last year. Revenue for the period ended March 22 rose 11.9% to $822.2 million. Same-store sales climbed 6.1%.

"The year is off to a strong start, with Smart & Final Stores delivering against our business plans and financial objectives," said Dave Hirz, president and CEO.
Sam's Club opens new store with a bang

Sam’s Club is toasting the grand opening of its newest club in Oklahoma with thousands of dollars in community grants and special appearances by politicians and celebrities.

The new Sam’s Club at 1705 S. Broadway Ave. in Moore, Okla., opens May 7 following an 8 a.m. grand opening ceremony. The company says the grand opening celebration will focus on the company’s commitment to the local community. “We’re so happy to be part of the community and look forward to giving back whenever we can,” said Club Manager Farrokh Moinian.
Metro turns to XCCommerce for omnichannel tune-up

A major Canadian grocery chain has a new partner in its quest to improve its omnichannel capabilties.

Metro Inc. has partnered with XCCommerce Inc. to install XCCommerce’s Promotion Solution Suite in support of Metro’s omnichannel promotion and targeted coupon strategy.