Supermarket/Grocery

Retail sales rose ever so slightly in April, putting a damper on hopes of a sharp uptick in economic growth in the second quarter. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, retail sales, which include categories such as automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants, rose 0.1% in April, following a revised 1.5% increase in March that ranked as the biggest since March 2010.

By Ron Chan, director of marketing, Posiflex USA

St. Petersburg, Fla. — On the eve of RECon 2014, The Sembler Co. is gunning its development, property management and acquisition motors. The company has more than 2.8 million sq. ft. in various stages of ground-up development. Its leasing and retention rates are at the highest levels in years. And the company’s acquisition program is active as well.

On the development side, Sembler and partner Lennar Commercial are in the predevelopment stage of an 800,000-sq.-ft. regional shopping center called Town Madison in Madison, Alabama.

Washington, D.C. - Retail sales rose ever so slightly in April, putting a damper on hopes of a sharp uptick in economic growth in the second quarter. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, retail sales, which include categories such as automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants, rose 0.1% in April, following a revised 1.5% increase in March that ranked as the biggest since March 2010.

Reston, Va. -- A report by comScore showed that, in the first quarter, desktop-based e-commerce rose 12% year-over-year to $56.1 billion, marking the 18th consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and 14th consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.

M-commerce spending on smartphones and tablets added $7.3 billion for the quarter, up 23%, for a digital commerce spending total of $63.4 billion in the first quarter.
 

Phoenix - DM Analytics, a provider of retail-focused software solutions, has added a Tag and Sign system to a comprehensive application suite that also incorporates ordering, receiving, shelf price audit and inventory modules. The system is aimed at supermarkets, drug stores, dollar stores, hardware, consumer electronics/appliances, furniture/home furnishings, liquor, auto parts, hobby/crafts, pool supply, and other hardlines retailers.

Atlanta - Consumer year-over-year spending growth of 4.1% gained momentum in April 2014 compared to the prior month’s growth of 3.1%, driven by warmer weather as well as the Easter shift into April this year, according to First Data SpendTrend analysis. The report, which tracks same-store point-of-sale data by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT, closed-loop prepaid cards and checks from nearly four million merchant locations serviced by First Data, shows transaction growth of 3.5% in April,  compared to March’s 2.7% growth.

Costco Wholesale Corp. has opened the doors to its second location in Louisiana, in the city of Baton Rouge. (The warehouse club giant made its Louisiana debut last fall, in New Orleans.) The store includes a bakery, fresh deli, food court, gas station, pharmacy and independent optometrist.