Supermarket/Grocery

Former Walmart Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer Duncan Mac Naughton has joined the board of directors of CROSSMARK, a sales, marketing and merchandising services company focused on the retail and consumer goods industries.

CROSSMARK CEO Steve Schuckenbrock in an internal company announcement said it is a privilege to have Mac Naughton join the company’s board given his extraordinary retail industry experience and leadership from both a manufacturer and retailer perspective.

Greensboro, N.C. – It was a mixed first quarter for The Fresh Market Inc. as the grocery retailer met Wall Street expectations for profit but fell short on sales. Net income totaled $15.17 million, down 8% from $16.57 million.

Higher operating expenses drove the reduction in net income. Sales increased 7% to $462.04 million from $431 million. Same-store sales dropped 0.1%.

We are living in the age of instant gratification. Heightened consumer expectations are putting overwhelming pressure on retailers to engage with each customer in real-time across every touchpoint. Increasingly, this means getting products in their customer’s hands whenever, wherever and however they want it. But it can be hard to deliver on these new fulfilment options – such as click-and-collect or same-day delivery – with traditional distribution infrastructures.

Washington, D.C. – Online marketplace LivingSocial appointed Atul Kavthekar as CFO. He will join the company in June, and will report to president and CEO Gautam Thakar.
 

The Fresh Market says its planned exit from California led to higher costs and lower profit in the first quarter, but analysts say the company may be in trouble.

Seattle - Amazon.com is offering one-hour delivery of products from select local stores in Manhattan through its Prime Now service. In Manhattan, customers can now purchase groceries, prepared meals and baked goods from D’Agostino, Gourmet Garage and Billy’s Bakery through the Prime Now app.

Retailers in urban areas where Amazon.com is rolling out its Prime Now delivery service soon may be able to piggyback on the e-commerce innovator’s supply chain prowess to offer one-hour delivery.

In Manhattan, where Amazon.com launched Prime Now earlier this year, the company has added products from select local merchants to the tens of thousands of items it already promises to deliver within one hour.

Waban, Mass. -- Supermarket companies Hannaford and Publix took the top spots in the 2015 Temkin Effort Ratings, which rates how easy or difficult companies are to work with. The ratings examine 293 companies across 20 industries.