Supermarket/Grocery

Commerce, Calif. -- Smart & Final Stores, Inc. reported that profit for the third quarter edged up 1.9% to $10.2 million. Sales surged 10.8% to $1.13 billion, and same-store sales leapt 6.6%.   “We continue to grow sales in both of our store banners--Smart & Final and Cash & Carry--and this has translated into strong financial results.," said Dave Hirz, president and CEO.  

The online grocery channel, while a minor part of FMCG/CPG sales in the U.S. currently, is widely anticipated to be a primary driver of growth for the category in the coming years. And the emergence of this channel can’t happen too soon - total dollar sales for FMCG/CPG products increased just 1.5% last year according to IRI. But change is coming.

Chicago -- Accounting for over a third of grocery retailers' total sales, promotions are a top priority. Recognizing the profit potential, Australian retailer Woolworths prioritized the implementation of process improvements that would promote efficiency through its promotional strategies.  

Las Vegas –- At the recent KronosWorks 2014 conference in Las Vegas, clients across a variety of industries spoke about how they use Kronos solutions to better perform a variety of human resources and workforce management tasks.  

Los Angeles -- Ralphs Grocery Co. said it will hire to fill an estimated 1,200 permanent positions at its stores in Southern California. Ralphs currently employs more than 19,000 associates at its stores in the region.  

Walmart’s same store sales turned positive during the third quarter, ending a two year drought, prompting the company to forecast a U.S. comp increase of as much as 1% during the fourth quarter.

Lisle, Ill. -- Glory Global Solutions found that the overwhelming majority of U.S. consumers using self-service machines (88%) have felt frustrated by the technology, this according to the company’s latest research study on the use of self-service technology.  

Los Angeles -- BH Properties has announced the hire of Andrew Van Tuyle as chief acquisition officer. In this role, Van Tuyle will be responsible for the firm’s property and debt acquisitions throughout the Southwest.