Supermarket/Grocery

New York -- Costco Wholesale Corp. has opened its first store in continental Europe, a 140,000-sq.-ft. location in Seville, Spain.

Costco will follow it up with a store in Madrid, according to media reports.

Chicago - Easy2Find is a new online analytics tool designed to simplify food industry research and intelligence at the unit level. It is a joint service offering that joins foodservice data analytics provider CHD Expert and research and consulting firm Technomic.

Easy2Find lets chains see and understand a restaurant's footprint in any given geographic market and restaurant segment. It is designed to allow users to find where competitors are opening new unit locations and how they impact sales, helping to uncover market expansion potential.

Austin, Texas – Whole Foods Market is thrilled opens a new location at Greenway Town Center in Tigard, Oregon, on May 21. The store will feature products from local producers, a community art installation, LED lighting, recycled building materials, a fire pit, and a three-season outdoor seating area for about 60 customers.

Walmart’s new convenience store test concept, Walmart To Go, is located in its hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas.  

The approximate 2,500-sq.-ft. store is a hybrid. Part grocery store, part c-store and part quick-serve restaurant, it offers a mix of groceries, c-store staples, and refrigerated and fresh prepared foods, complete with a deli counter. Products are priced the same as they would be in a regular Walmart store.     

Same store sales and operating profits declined at Sam’s Club during the first quarter prompting president and CEO Rosalind Brewer to call the reporting period, “one of our more difficult quarters.”

Walmart’s first quarter sales were not great, but longer term success could be driven by an interesting range of pilot programs and expanding initiatives the company shared during a recap of its results.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association and several of America's most recognized retail brands have launched the Retail Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center.

The R-CISC is an independent organization, the centerpiece of which is a Retail Information Sharing and Analysis Center. Among those companies participating with and supportive of the R-CISC are American Eagle Outfitters, Gap, J. C. Penney, Lowe's Companies, Nike, Safeway, Target, VF Corp. and Walgreens.  

The Hillshire Brands Company has completed its acquisition of Van’s Natural Foods from Catterton Partners. Van’s is a leading better-for-you food brand with multiple product lines in frozen breakfast and snack foods.

The Coca-Cola Company’s innovative fountain dispensing platform, Coca-Cola Freestyle, has unveiled three new dispensers that will significantly expand the number of customer locations suited for the technology.

The units offer additional beverage choices, including more low- and no-calorie options, as well as connectivity. The dispensers will be piloted by the end of the year.

Arlington, Va. - The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), along with several retail brands, has launched the Retail Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center (R-CISC), the centerpiece of which is a Retail Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Retail-ISAC).