Supermarket/Grocery

Publix Super Markets is entering the eastern portion of the North Carolina market.

Publix will be coming to Greenville Square, a 150,000-sq-ft center, formerly anchored by K Mart, which will be completely renovated with a new façade, parking lot, lighting package and landscaping. The 49,000-sq-ft Publix will open in 2017 along with several new national, regional, and local tenants.

Brodyco is the developer for the partnership of David Brody, Hyman Brody, and Robert Beller, who purchased Greenville Square in 2005.

Specialty grocery delivery service Wholeshare takes what might be called a “democratic” approach to offering customers online access healthy food products.

“We let consumers buy natural and organic food as a group at wholesale prices,” said Matt Hatoun, co-founder of San Francisco-based Wholeshare. “We cut out the supermarket or natural foods store. We go to the same wholesalers they use.”

Knowing when things are right is important, but knowing when things are wrong may be even more vital.

There may be debate among presidential candidates about whether experience is a positive or negative attribute, but for open-air centers, experience is a must. With the ease of online shopping, today’s consumers need a reason beyond the chance to visit their favorite stores to make a trip to their local center.

Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, a specialty grocer focusing on fresh, natural and organic foods at accessible prices, is on a roll.

Barely two years out of the gate (the first store opened in April 2014, in Illinois), the Chicago-based company now counts 32 locations throughout the Midwest.

Its aggressive growth strategy calls for 60 stores by 2019. Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio are among the states targeted for growth.

Kroger puts produce front and center at its new grocery store concept, Main & Vine, which also boasts a large bulk-bin area and an event center where cooking demonstrations take place. The store, in Gig Harbor, Washington, capitalizes on Kroger’s centralized buying and distribution power to keep prices affordable on produce and staples, according to the Columbus Dispatch. [Columbus Dispatch]

Chicago -- CBRE recently completed the sale of two retail centers in the Chicago, Illinois suburbs for $14.8 million.

Regency Square, a 43,361 sq. ft. center, located in Huntley, Illinois is 97% leased. The center is anchored by Aldi and includes tenants Athletico, Jimmy John’s, Little Caesar’s and SportClips. CBRE represented the seller, Interstate Partners. Regency Square sold for $10.8 million. CBRE’s Derrick Almassy and Rich Frolik represented Interstate Partners in the sale to Hamilton Partners.

Direct store delivery (DSD), which involves shipping products directly to stores from suppliers and bypassing the retailer’s warehouse or fulfillment center, is not a new idea.

However, several industry developments have made DSD a more attractive and feasible option in many instances. Here are three reasons for a retailer to consider launching a DSD program.

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