Supermarket/Grocery

Purchase, N.Y. -- After several months of sluggish retail sales, consumer shopping in the U.S. rebounded in April, according to the latest MasterCard SpendingPulse report, which aggregate national retail sales activity in the MasterCard payments network, coupled with estimates for all other payment forms, including cash and check.

Walmart has gotten the green light to build its drive-in grocery center in Bentonville, Ark., near the intersection of S. Walton Blvd. and J St., according to an article in The City Wire.

The article reported that Bentonville’s Planning Commission approved Walmart’s request “to approve slight variations in its parking stall depths, number of curb cuts and the building materials . . . with no discussion.”

Boise, Idaho - Associated Grocers of Florida is adopting recall process management technology from Recall InfoLink. Recall InfoLink offers a Web-based product recall management platform that protects brand image and reduces liability for businesses involved in processing recalls.

It improves efficiency by providing standardized messages, automated communications, inventory tracking and reports for compliance efforts.

Roundy's saw net sales increase by 1.9% to $1 billion, and reported a net loss of $4.5 million compared with net income of $8.6 million.

Sprouts Farmers Market’s president and CEO Doug Sanders credited the company’s focus on offering healthy food at affordable prices for 28 consecutive quarters of positive same-store sales growth as well as record first quarter results that outperformed its targets.

Washington, D.C. -- More than two-thirds of U.S. shoppers will buy gift cards during the spring and summer seasons, according to a just-released survey by the Retail Gift Card Association.

Buying occasions include Mother’s Day, graduation and weddings. Key findings of the RGCA spring and summer gift card study, which polled more than 1,100 American shoppers, include:

Despite the Easter holiday shift, Whole Foods reported second-quarter revenue of $3.32 billion, a record increase of 10% from the prior-year quarter. But the record was not enough for Wall Street, which expected $3.34 billion.

The company’s earnings per share of 38 cents for the quarter also came in below expectations of 41 cents per share.

Minneapolis -- Grocery retailer Roundy’s said it had entered into definitive agreements to sell 18 Rainbow stores in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market to a group of local grocers, including Supervalu.

The sale price is $65 million, and Roundy’s said it is seeking buyers for a remaining nine Rainbow stores so that it can fully exit the Minneapolis/St. Paul market.

The transaction is expected to close during the third quarter of this year.