Supermarket/Grocery

Cambridge, Mass. – Target is the grocery brand with the highest positive consumer sentiment rating. In a survey of the grocery habits of 763 consumers exclusively released to Chain Store Age, analytics technology provider Luminoso Technology found that 60% of consumers had positive sentiment about Target as a grocery retailer.

Meijer is generating traffic to its stores with weekly promotions and price drops on more than 300 of back-to-school items, which it plans to continue offering into September. In the past few weeks alone, customer traffic has consistently doubled, according to the retailer.

Austin, Texas – Whole Foods plans to expand its loyalty, marketing and home delivery programs. In a conference call with investors, co-CEO Walter Robb said Whole Foods will launch its first national marketing campaign in fall 2014, with a focus on how the retailer is better and different than its competitors.

Rochester, N.Y. – Wegmans Food Markets Inc. plans to open 10 new stores in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions. The stores include one in Maryland, two in Massachusetts, two in New Jersey, one in Pennsylvania, and four in Virginia.

NCR Corporation, a leading global consumer transaction technologies developer, has appointed Michael Bayer as SVP and president of the company’s retail solutions division. Bayer will report to NCR chairman and CEO Bill Nuti.

Austin, Texas -- Whole Foods Market reported that profit for the third quarter rose to $151 million from $142 million last year, but revenue and same-store sales missed projections, sending the organic grocer’s shares downward.

Revenue rose to $3.38 billion from $3.06 billion, shy of the $3.39 billion expected by Wall Street. Same-store sales rose 3.9%, well short of the estimated 4.9% gain and marking the worst performance in at least 14 quarters.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation (NRF) has named Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. and Rep. John Kline, R-Minn.as NRF’s Legislators of the Year. The awards presentation was made during the Retail Advocates Summit, NRF’s annual congressional fly-in.

Chicago — Regency Centers announced the groundbreaking of a new 40,000-sq.-ft. Whole Foods Market, located 25 miles from downtown Chicago in Schererville, Indiana.

The new store, situated in The Shops on Main shopping center, is projected to open in fall 2015. Current tenants include Homegoods, Gordmans, Ross Dress for Less, and DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse.