Supermarket/Grocery

Redwood City, Calif. - YottaMark Inc. has enhanced its ShopWell food nutrition app with weekly healthy eating advice from registered dietitians, personalized to the user's dietary goals. In response to member feedback, the ShopWell scoring algorithm has also been enhanced to include support for shoppers with vegetarian and vegan diets, and individuals trying to avoid corn.  

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores announced that Bill Simon, president and CEO of Walmart U.S. since June 2010, is leaving the company. He will be replaced by Greg Foran, 53, president and CEO of Walmart Asia, who will take up the post on Aug. 9, reporting directly Wal-Mart president and CEO, Doug McMillon. Simon will be available on a consulting basis for the next six months to ensure a seamless transition.

New York -- Sainsbury’s has entered into a unique arrangement that closes the loop on food recycling. Its store in Cannock, Staffordshire, England, has come off the country’s national power grid for day-to-day electricity consumption and is running on power generated solely from food waste from Sainsbury’s supermarkets across the United Kingdom.

The new power supply was built in partnership with waste recycling company Biffa, and uses Biffa’s advanced anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities and a unique power link up.  

Walmart named Greg Foran president and CEO of its U.S. stores division to replace Bill Simon, who is leaving the company after an eight-year run.
 

Supervalu posted $5.23 billion in net sales for the first quarter, a decrease of 0.1% from $5.24 billion last year; but president and CEO Sam Duncan expressed confidence in the company’s performance, saying it is off to a solid start across business segments.

“Our first quarter results reflect the investments we are making this year to position the company for future success and I am pleased with our operating performance,” said Duncan.

Tablet point of sale company ShopKeep unveiled a redesigned website, logo and tagline earlier this week. The rebranding is intended to accompany ShopKeep’s growth since it started six years ago, and new features such as customized email receipts.
 
According to ShopKeep CEO Jason Richelson, the company’s new look “respects where we’ve come from but better reflects where we are, and where we intend to go as a company.”

Despite a still-challenging economic climate, Loblaw’s profit in the second quarter beat analysts’ expectations, and was bolstered by strong sales in its recently acquired Shoppers Drug Mart.

Sales at the pharmacy and beauty retailer, which contributed to Loblaw’s net sales for the first time this quarter, accounted for more than a quarter of the food retailer’s total sales of C$10.31 billion in the quarter.

Channeling his inner Sam Walton this week, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon rattled the company with the unexpected appointment of a relatively unknown newcomer to replace Bill Simon as CEO of its largest and most profitable division.

Rite Aid has appointed former Roundy’s executive Darren Karst as EVP and CFO, effective Aug. 20, to succeed Frank Vitrano, who has announced he will retire in Sept. 2015. Karst will report to Rite Aid’s chairman and CEO John Standley.

Karst will be responsible for all aspects of the company’s finance, accounting, treasury, tax, investor relations, legal, risk management, internal assurance and asset protection functions.

River Forest, Ill. — Richard Spinell, principal of Mid-America Asset Management Inc., announced that the firm recently secured three leases at River Forest Town Center in River Forest, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago.

Massage Envy, Accelerated Rehabilitation, and Native Foods signed leases at River Forest Town Center. Massage Envy signed on for 3,946 sq. ft. and Accelerated Rehabilitation signed for 3,077 sq. ft. Both tenants are taking half of the former Talbot’s space.