Supermarket/Grocery

Pleasanton, Calif. – Safeway Inc. saw its net income plunge 58% from $157 million to $65.8 million during the third quarter of fiscal 2013, amid a software impairment charge, higher theft and lower property gains. Results, however, beat expectations however.

Sales grew 1.1% from $8.52 billion to $8.62 billion, driven by a 1.9% improvement in same-store sales.

Pleasanton, Calif. -- Safeway Inc. announced it plans to get rid of its 72 Dominick's stores in the Chicago area, exiting the market in early 2014.

Safeway’s decision comes after Dominick's had a net loss of $8.4 million for the third quarter, ended Sept. 7, compared with a loss of $6.2 million in the year-ago period, and a net loss of $21.5 million for the year to date, compared with $16.8 million for the year- ago period.

Ask 728 people whether shopping on a smartphone or tablet is more attractive than visiting a retail location and more than half will say that it is, according to the 2013 Mobile Commerce Study produced by Hipcricket, a Kirkland, Wa.-based provider of unified mobile engagement platforms.

Indianapolis — Simon Property Group has announced the grand re-opening of the redeveloped The Shops at Nanuet, a 750,000-sq.-ft. open-air main street center in Rockland County, N.Y.

With the re-opening, three new anchors are making a debut: Fairway Market, open now, Regal Cinemas, opening in November, and 24-Hour Fitness, opening in December. They will join existing anchors Macy’s and Sears at the property.

Atlanta — Kimco Realty Corporation has acquired Five Forks Crossing, a 73,910-sq.-ft. grocery-anchored retail center in Lilburn, Ga., according to Transwestern, the firm that brokered the transaction.

Five Forks Crossing occupies 6.6 acres in Lilburn in the Gwinnett County submarket near Ronald Reagan Parkway. Anchored by Kroger, the property is 100% leased.

Transwestern represented the seller, SWA Investment.

Centreville, Va. — Lotte Plaza International Grocer has leased 47,000 sq. ft. at the 200,366-sq.-ft. Centreville Square II in Centreville, Va., and plans to open next spring.

The Asian market will join Party Depot, Sleepy’s Mattress Professionals, Five Guys, Wells Fargo, Hair Cuttery and The UPS Store.

Los Angeles — The U.S. commercial real estate market continued a slow, but steady, recovery in the third quarter of 2013, according to the latest analysis from CBRE Group.

In the quarter, the retail availability rate declined 10 basis points to 12.2% and had fallen 70 basis points from one year ago.

New York -- U.S. chain-store sales posted a gain of 4.0% for the fiscal month of September on a year-over-year basis according to a tally compiled by the International Council of Shopping Centers. Excluding gasoline sales, the September tally would actually be +5.1%.

New York -- Whole Foods Market has signed a lease for a 29,000-sq-ft. store in Newark, N.J., according to the Newark Star-Ledger.

The store is expected to be an anchor tenant in a 112-year-old landmark building that was once occupied by the Hahne & Co. department store. The building is being converted into a multi-use space that will feature apartments, retail and office space.
The project is a joint partnership between the Newark-based Hanini Group and L&M Development Partners of New York.

Bloomberg Businessweek senior writer Brad Stone has authored a new book about Amazon that is a must read for anyone involved in the retail industry – especially Walmart.