Supermarket/Grocery

Costco Wholesale Corp. exceeded Wall Street expectations with improved net earnings in the third quarter of fiscal 2016.
 
Net income for the quarter totaled a better-than-expected $545 million, up 6% from $516 million the prior-year period.

Net sales increased 2% to $26.15 billion, just short of forecasts, and up from $25.52 billion last year.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) has named Gary Cammack, owner of Cammack Ranch Supply in Union Center, South Dakota, as the 2016 America’s Retail Champion of the Year.

The award was presented Tuesday, May 24, at NRF’s annual Retail Advocates Summit as small retailers from across the country were honored for their advocacy on behalf of the industry while in Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress on a variety of public policy issues.

Temperatures in the East will be somewhat similar to last year while the West will trend cooler than last year. Rainfall will be greater across the Northwest, meanwhile across the Ohio Valley and interior Northeast, we may begin to see the start of a long-term drying trend.

After months of anticipation, the 365 by Whole Foods Market discount store format has made its debut in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.
 

The 27th annual Chain Store Age survey of Fastest-Growing Acquirers features some familiar names, but a diversity of philosophies and experiences when it comes to driving long-term growth.
 

After an 18-month hiatus on expansion, Amazon.com is reportedly preparing to roll out its AmazonFresh grocery delivery service to new markets including Boston and the U.K.

According to Re/Code, Amazon had initially planned to introduce the service to U.K. customers in 2015.

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Supermarkets and fast-casual restaurant brands took the top positions in an annual ranking of customer experience.   Publix, Chick-fil-A, and H-E-B earned top three positions in Temkin Group’s 2017 Temkin Experience Ratings, a cross-industry benchmark of customer experience.     Publix had a score of 84%, closely followed by Chick-fil-A and H-E-B, which both scored 83% in the seventh annual rating.  

As the retail landscape continues to evolve in response to an explosion of creativity and innovation from both new and existing brands, this is an exciting and inspiring time to be in the business.