Supermarket/Grocery

New York -- It’s official: California Governor Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed legislation for the nation's first statewide ban on single-use plastic bags at supermarkets, drug stores and select other retail outlets.

"This bill is a step in the right direction — it reduces the torrent of plastic polluting our beaches, parks and even the vast ocean itself," Brown said in a signing statement. "We're the first to ban these bags, and we won't be the last."

Bentonville, Ark. – Walmart  is testing a concept where shoppers order their groceries online, schedule a pick-up time, and then pick up their order at the Walmart Pick-up Grocery depot in as little as two hours without having to leave their car, according to local CBS affiliate KFSM-TV 5News. Shoppers also can schedule a pick-up three weeks in advance. The pilot Pick-Up Grocery location is in the chain’s hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas.
 

New York  -- The outlook for retail in the Northeast remains quite positive, with demand from national, local and franchise companies across a broad range of categories, according to Levin Management.

West Des Moines, Iowa - Hy-Vee will deploy the Retail 20/20 exception reporting solution from Agilence Inc. The grocery chain will use the solution to improve operations and reduce shrink.

"While looking for a solution we were keen on finding one that could help us improve our in-store operations, while also making exception reporting a priority," said Darren Baty, senior VP and CIO, Hy-Vee. "After seeing Retail 20/20 in action it became clear that we would be able to reduce shrink and improve our front end with this tool."

Eden Prairie, Minn. – Supervalu Inc., which reported an intrusion into the portion of its computer network that processes payment card transactions at some of its retail food stores on Aug. 14, is reporting the discovery of another breach.

Just a little more than a month after Supervalu announced a data breach, the company has confirmed a second malware attack on its payment systems.

On Aug. 14, Supervalu announced that it had experienced a criminal intrusion into the portion of its computer network that processes payment card transactions at some of its retail food stores, including some of its associated stand-alone liquor stores, but not including its Save-A-Lot stores.

Dole reaffirmed its commitment to increase healthier food options for students by teaming up with grocery retailer Martin’s Supermarkets and wholesale foods supplier Caito Foods to donate salad bars to five public schools in Indiana.

These self-serve produce bars will feature an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables.

By Matthew K. Harding, president, Levine Management

Moving into the final months of 2014, the outlook for retail in the Northeast remains quite positive. We are seeing demand from national, local and franchise companies across a broad range of categories.
 

Chicago – Retail is the top industry targeted for data breaches. According to the 2014 Global Security Report from cybersecurity provider Trustwave, retail made up 35% of attacks Trustwave investigated in 2013.

Food and beverage ranked second at 18% and hospitality ranked third at 11%. In addition, POS breaches accounted for 33% of Trustwave’s 2013 investigations, while e-commerce made up 54% of assets targeted and data centers comprised 10% of assets targeted. The median number of days from initial intrusion to detection was 87 days.

London – A group of U.K. retailers led by W.M. Morrison Supermarkets plc is reportedly seeking to extend the time period for which it can claim antitrust damages against MasterCard from 2006 to 1992. According to Bloomberg, this could add as much as $1.6 billion to the damages the retailers are seeking.