Supermarket/Grocery

Walmart has opened its first supercenter in Canada’s eastern Maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The retailer, which has operated in Canada for nearly two decades, plans to invest $90 million this year in the renovation and expansion of nine locations in New Brunswick and Novia Scotia.

Chicago — Argo Tea has opened a greenhouse-inspired café in Chicago’s newly restored Connors Park. Argo and the city worked together on the park restoration, which includes chamomile and hibiscus tea bushes and native drought-tolerant plant varieties.

Argo Tea opened its first café in Chicago in 2003 and now operates 27. Plans call for 15 new locations over the next 12 months.

By Jake Weatherly, [email protected]

Grand Rapids, Mich. — Meijer has opened a 190,000-sq.-ft. supercenter at the Gateway Marketplace shopping center located in the Michigan State Fairgrounds.

The new supercenter includes a grocery and full-service pharmacy with a drive-through.

ABILENE, Kan. — Argonne Capital Group LLC, a private investment firm based in Atlanta, Ga., has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Alco Stores, which will allow Argonne to acquire all outstanding shares of the broad-line retailer’s common stock for $14 per share in cash. 

New York -- Five individuals have been charged with running a sophisticated, worldwide hacking organization that the U.S. Department of Justice called the largest hacking and data breach scheme ever prosecuted in the United States. The victims in the scheme included such retailers as J.C. Penney, 7-Eleven Inc., Carrefour and Hannaford Brothers Co. 

Pittsburgh — GNC Holdings has announced that it is expanding its retail presence in China with the opening of its first stand-alone store in Shanghai. GNC plans to open an additional 25 locations in China over the next 12 months.

The company currently operates more than 60 store-within-a-store locations in eight grocery, convenience and health and wellness chains in China.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As lawyers face off in the first battle over Detroit’s bankruptcy bid, Meijer is preparing to open its first store in the economically depressed city at the Gateway Marketplace shopping center.