Supermarket/Grocery

Academy Sports + Outdoors has renewed its multi-year partnership with the Atlanta Braves. The specialty retailer also plans to open two new stores in Cartersville, Ga., April 11 and Douglasville, Ga., May 2.

"We're thrilled about our continued expansion in the Atlanta metro area," said SVP of marketing Anita Sehgal. "Our partnership with the Braves and the two additional stores are clear indicators of Academy's commitment to our ongoing growth in the Atlanta community, Braves fans, and active-minded families throughout Georgia."

Port Washington, N.Y. — Cedar Realty Trust has completed the acquisition of Quartermaster Plaza in Philadelphia. The 456,000-sq.-ft. grocery-anchored shopping center is 98% occupied and anchored by a BJ’s Wholesale Club.

Cedar acquired the center for $92.3 million, including the assumption of $53.4 million of fixed rate debt. The company expects ultimately to fund deal with proceeds anticipated from asset sales. Pending those sales, Cedar will use it existing credit facility.

New York -- Loblaw Cos. Ltd.’s acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. has been approved by Canada’s Competition Bureau. The $12.4 billion (US$11 billion) deal is expected to close on March 28.

To win approval from the Competition Bureau, Loblaw agreed to sell 18 stores and nine in-store pharmacies.

Minneapolis -- The distribution of digital coupons on retailers’ websites exploded in 2013, increasing 39.5% over the previous year, according to data released by Marx, a Kantar Media company. The growth of digital coupons was followed by a 25.6% increase in retailer participation in freestanding insert (FSI) coupon promotion pages, and a 12.6% increase in total retailer feature ad pages distributed.

Monterrey, Mexico -- Tiendas Soriana S.A. de C.V., Mexico’s second largest retail company, and Hanwha Q CELLS, a leading full-service solar power companies, announced a 20-year power purchase agreement for 31 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic (PV) solar power at 120 retail locations across Mexico that will create significant long-term energy savings for Soriana. Soriana operates more than 640 grocery and department stores.

Virginia Beach, Va. — The Virginia Beach office of Divaris Real Estate has finalized leases for five retail spaces throughout Hampton Roads, Va.

 SunTrust Bank has signed a lease extension for 3,000 sq. ft. in Willow Oaks Village Square Shopping Center in Hampton, Va. Divaris handled lease negotiations on behalf of the landlord, Willow Oaks Associates.

Boise, Idaho - WinCo Foods LLC will open its newest discount supermarket on March 27. The 88,000-sq.-ft. store is the company's second in Bakersfield and reflects WinCo's newer décor package creating a solid, clean feel, which highlights the product, including the hundreds of new WinCo Foods private label items the company has recently introduced.  

Compton, Calif. – Foodsco will open its first store in Oakland, Calif., on March 26. The new 80,000 sq.-ft. supermarket is located in East Oakland's Foothill Square Shopping Center.

More than 360 select Loblaw banner stores across Canada nabbed the world record for the most wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese cracked simultaneously, as declared by a Guinness World Records adjudicator. Officially, 1,008 wheels were cracked in more than 360 Loblaw banner stores simultaneously across Canada.

Major changes in retailers’ use of digital coupons and free standing insert promotions were evident in 2013 and especially pronounced at Walmart, Target and Kroger, according to an extensive analysis conducted by the Marx division of Kantar Media.

Retailers’ overall advertising expenditures were relatively in 2013 when compared to the prior year; however, there were large spikes in digital coupon events and free standing insert (FSI) coupon promotion pages.