Supermarket/Grocery

While Kmart has been closing many of its stores as it seeks to restructure the company, the retailer has quietly launched a pilot program to re-brand itself as K-Fresh.

The Chillicothe Gazette reports that the Kmart on North Bridge Street in Chillicothe, Ohio, has scaled back its hours and grocery offerings in preparation for its switch from a 24-hour supercenter to the retail chain's new K-Fresh concept.

New York -- The Kmart store in Chillicothe, Ohio, has scaled back its hours and grocery offerings in preparation for its switch from a 24-hour supercenter to the retail chain's new K-Fresh concept, according to a report by the Chillicothe Gazette.

The newspaper reports that the K-Fresh concept has been piloted at two stores, one in suburban Chicago and another in Hawaii.

By Kirsten Early, Partner and Director of Retail, SRSA Commercial Real Estate

Schenectady, N.Y. – Price Chopper Supermarkets will deploy Retail 20/20 exception-based reporting to replace its legacy exception reporting application. Price Chopper, which operates grocery stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont, selected Retail 20/20 for its advanced reporting engine and intuitive interface.

By Matthew K. Harding

With demand from national, local and franchise companies across a broad range of categories picking up markedly in the Northeast, this is an opportune time to take a look at the movers and shakers that are defining the next generation of retail tenancy. And interestingly, the most successful concepts are embracing a new reality that leverages technology and creative approaches for reaching consumers.

Categories to watch

San Jose, Calif. - Large format Hispanic grocery chain Mi Pueblo Foods is getting personal with customers on the go. Mi Pueblo is using the CLYP mobile marketing automation platform to establish deep consumer engagement, leading to more extensive insight into customers’ shopping behavior and buying patterns.

Whole Foods is putting its motto -- whole foods, whole people, whole planet -- to the test with a new initiative to alleviate poverty through microcredit.

The retailer is partnering with its own Whole Planet Foundation on an effort to raise $5 million in 42 days to fund microlending programs worldwide.

British supermarket giant Tesco has named John Allan as chairman, ending a four-month search after Richard Broadbent resigned amid an accounting scandal.

Allan, 66, will join the board and be appointed chairman on March 1, when Broadbent will step down from the board, Tesco said in a statement.

"I'm very pleased to be taking on this role at such a critical moment for the business and look forward to working with the new executive team and the board," Allan said.