Supermarket/Grocery

Hilton Head Island, S.C. — SERG Restaurant Group has announced that it has signed a letter of intent to create of a new restaurant for Shelter Cove Town Center. The concept for the new restaurant has been in development for three years and will open in 2014. Details were not announced.

Pooler, Ga. — The Olive Garden, Panera Bread, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Jersey Mikes Subs and Jalapenos Mexican Grill have all inked deals with GBT Realty Corporation for space in Village on Pooler Parkway, a 143,000-sq.-ft. shopping center now under development in Pooler, Ga.

The Panera shop will occupy a freestanding building with a drive-through, making it one of the first locations in the market to feature Panera’s new prototype.

Boise, Idaho — WinCo Foods will open a 90,000-sq.-ft. discount supermarket in Bellingham, Wash., on Thursday.

The new store will initially employ 171. The employee-owned discount food chain operates 88 stores and typically ranks as the low priced leader in the markets where it operates.

Grand Rapids, Mich. -- Meijer is expanding its mPerks digital coupon program to include pharmacy purchases, allowing customers to earn $10 off their total shopping purchase, 5% off total grocery and health-and-beauty purchases or 50 cents off per gallon of Meijer gas for every five eligible prescriptions filled. Customers can also hang onto their rewards and keep filling prescriptions to earn double rewards, saving as much as $1 per gallon on gas or $20 off their next shopping visit.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart’s South African subsidiary Massmart Holdings Ltd. is reportedly considering expanding into Kenya. According to an article in Bloomberg, Kenyan news outlets are reporting that Massmart executives have met with representatives of major Kenyan retail chains including Naivas Supermarket Ltd.

CITY OF COMMERCE, Calif. — Stéphane Gonthier, chief operating officer at Dollarama since September 2007, will be leaving the company to become president and CEO of 99 Cents Only Stores, as well as a member of its board. 

Gonthier’s appointment is expected to become effective in the next 60 days. Interim CEO Richard Anicetti, a successful food retailing executive, will return to his role solely as a member of the board.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — David H. Murdock, Dole’s chairman and CEO, has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Dole Food Company to acquire for cash all outstanding shares of Dole common stock not currently held by him and his affiliates. 

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As Meijer continues its expansion agenda, with plans to open nine new stores and hire 9,000 employees, it has also expanded its mPerks digital coupon program. 

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Coupon Express, Inc. has appointed Glenn Gardone as its CEO and chairman of the board.

Gardone is a consumer packaged goods sales and marketing executive with more than 20 years of experience working in all retail and wholesale channels throughout North America. Prior to joining Coupon Express, he worked at PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Kellogg and Del Monte. 

SEATTLE -- Amazon's grocery service might be making its way to New York next year, according to published reports.

Citing analysis from SunTrust analyst Robert Peck, EcommerceBytes.com reported that the Seattle-based online retailer may start offering Amazon Fresh in New York in 2014, based on his finding that the company had expanded into a New Jersey warehouse previously used by C&S Wholesale Grocers.