Supermarket/Grocery

The Department of Labor’s long-awaited proposed revisions to the “white collar” overtime exemptions are finally here – at least, in part.  On June 30, 2015, the DOL unveiled its proposed revisions to the required salary levels for many of the “white collar” exemptions to the FLSA’s overtime requirements.(The FLSA establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and youth employment standards affecting employees in the private sector and in Federal, State, and local governments.)

London - Two e-tailers, Amazon.com and Netflix, are the respective number one and two ranked brands in the U.S., according to the mid-year Brand Index from consumer research firm YouGov. Social video platform is the number three brand in the index, meaning the top three is made up of brands that focus on services delivered through the Internet.

Austin, Texas – A flagship Whole Foods market is reportedly coming to a corner location in midtown Atlanta. According to the Atlanta Business Journal, the multi-level, 70,000-sq,-ft. will anchor a 14-story mixed-use development that will also include 390 luxury apartments.

Miami-based The Related Group is developing the project, with Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart serving as architect.
 

Scottsdale, Ariz. - Cold Stone Creamery is planning to heat up the ice cream market in the Indian subcontinent. The retailer is entering India and Sri Lanka.

Kahala Brands, the parent company of the Cold Stone Creamery brand, is partnering with Tablez Food Company, part of Lulu Group International LLC, to open 40 stores in India and five stores in Sri Lanka during the next five years. The first store will open by the end of the year at the Lulu Mall in Kochi, India.

Retailers who sell food have seen firsthand the huge shift in consumer behavior toward natural, organic, gluten free and non-GMO products. Offering a view of what’s next in the grocery aisle this week was leading food supplier General Mills.

As part of an investor day to unveil growth strategies, the $18.8 billion company shared details about a broad range of new product introductions that debut this summer and are expected to drive retail sales.

Austin, Texas – Whole Foods Market has received approval for the design of a planned 40,000-sq.-ft. store from the Planning and Design Review Board of the City of Miami Beach. The design features a well-proportioned grid of white concrete, establishing a pedestrian loggia at the ground level, and a floating garden above that screens the parking.  

Batavia, Ill. -- Comedian Ben Bailey is doing his thing in an Aldi supermarket as opposed to his usual taxi cab.

Aldi, the fast-growing deep-discount supermarket chain, has teamed up with Ben Bailey, best known as host of the former TV series "Cash Cab,” in an online video series. Described as equal parts education and entertainment, the series is designed to help introduce Aldi to new customers across the United States and in Southern California specifically, where it is planning to open approximately 45 new stores in 2016.

Amazon.com and Walmart aren’t the only retailers lowering prices this month. Food Lion has jumped on bandwagon at its 1,100 stores with a three-pronged price reduction effort.

Food Lion has announced significant investments in prices throughout its stores by lowering prices on thousands of items that are most important to customers, according to the company, tapping into its longstanding heritage of low prices and convenient locations.