Supermarket/Grocery

New York -- Aldi was recognized as the nation's low-price grocery leader for the fourth year in a row, according to a recent consumer survey conducted by Market Force Information. Aldi announced in December 2013 that it intends to open 650 new stores across the country during the next five years.

When asked to rank the top grocers offering low prices, the 6,200 consumers who participated in the study ranked Aldi first, followed by Costco and Walmart third.

Livingston, New Jersey — The Fresh Market will open a 23,000-sq.-ft. store at The Village at Livingston (New Jersey), occupying a portion of the center’s former Pathmark store. The store is slated to open fall 2014.

The 93,000-sq.-ft. shopping center, which is managed and developed by Eastman Companies of Livingston, features tenants Olive Garden, GameStop, Wine Legend, Karate USA, Hudson City Savings and Zen Japanese Cuisine.

Discount grocer Aldi, Costco and Walmart were recognized as the nation’s low price grocery leaders in a recent study conducted by Market Force Information.

It was the fourth consecutive year Aldi has received the low price distinction in the survey conducted by Market Force, a leading customer intelligence solutions firm. When asked to rank the top grocers offering low prices, the 6,200 consumers who participated in the study ranked Aldi first, Costco second and Walmart third. Aldi president Jason Hart was quick to take a victory lap.

Deerfield, Ill. – Same-store sales at Walgreen Co. rose 5.2% in July. Walgreens had July sales of $6.39 billion, an increase of 6.1% from $6.02 billion for the same month in fiscal 2013.

Total front-end sales increased 1.4% in July compared with the same month in fiscal 2013, while same-store front-end sales increased 1.1%. Same-store customer traffic decreased 2.6% while basket size increased 3.7%.

A city with a booming population, one of the nation’s lowest unemployment figures, and an expanding presence on the national and international stage, Houston, Texas is on this rise. Already the fourth largest city in America, Houston has been recognized in recent years as a social and economic powerhouse that deserves to be considered alongside iconic cities like New York and Chicago. Unsurprisingly, Houston’s retail development growth has been a big part of its ascendance.

Hillshire Farm is introducing its Hillshire Farm Naturals line of lunchmeat ahead of the start of the school year.
 
The meats in the lineup are preservative-free and don’t contain any nitrates, nitrites, or any artificial coloring or flavors. The new variety will come in black re-sealable tubs, and include two varieties of turkey breast — slow roasted and smoked — as well as black forest and honey roasted ham.
 

Just a few days after naming a new CEO, Target issued a preliminary update on its second-quarter expenses related, in part, to the December 2013 data breach.  

St. Louis -- Panera Bread Company announced that Roger Matthews, executive VP and CFO, has resigned his position to pursue other opportunities.

Effective Aug. 6, Bill Moreton, executive vice chairman of Panera Bread, will serve as interim CFO as the company conducts a search for a full-time replacement. Moreton has previously held the positions of CEO, co-chief executive officer and CFO of Panera Bread. Matthews will transition his remaining duties through the end of August.

Target Corp. is running a Q&A with its new chairman and CEO, Brian Cornell, on its in-house, behind-the-scenes blog, A Bullseye View. The interview was conducted by the Bullseye View team.

You are the first CEO who has been hired from outside of Target. What are the benefits of coming in from the outside? What will be some of the challenges?

Lakeland, Fla. – Net earnings at Publix Super Markets slightly increased to $404.1 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2014 from $400.1 million in the year-ago period.

Net sales rose about 7% to $7.5 billion from $7 billion, aided by the shift of the Easter holiday to the second quarter of the current fiscal year from the first quarter of the previous fiscal year. Same-store sales rose 6.3%.