Supermarket/Grocery

New York -- Mexican supermarket and restaurant operator Gigante has entered into a joint venture with Petco Animal Supplies to open at least 50 stores in Mexico and other Latin American countries over seven years, Reuters reported.

The first two Petco stores will open this year in Mexico City and Guadalajara, Gigante said in a release to the stock exchange.

The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

CITY OF COMMERCE, Calif. — Former Food Lion CEO, and current board member for 99 Cents Only Stores, Richard Anicetti, is assuming the role of interim CEO for the discount retailer. In addition, Michael Fung will join the company as interim chief administrative officer overseeing finance, information technology, real estate and various administrative functions of the company.  

In connection with the foregoing changes, Eric Schiffer, Jeff Gold and Howard Gold are no longer employed by the company. 

CHICAGO — One-in-five consumers between the ages of 35 years and 54 years are choosing products due to a loyalty card discount, SymphonyIRI Group reported Wednesday as part of its Q4 2012 MarketPulse survey. And almost one-third are forsaking their preferred brands due to a sale price. The survey found that shopper sentiment dropped to its lowest point since Q3 2011.

Valrico, Fla. -- Indianapolis-based Kite Realty Group said Wednesday that The Fresh Market has leased 18,091 sq. ft. at Lithia Crossing, located in Valrico, Fla.
 
The grocer will also open a store at Shops at Eagle Creek, in Naples, Fla. The new store will comprise 23,935 sq. ft.

New Delhi -- According to a Thursday report by Reuters, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is examining the conditions around India’s decision to allow supermarkets to open stores in the country.

New York -- The latest data from Nielsen shows the number of U.S. convenience stores continues to expand and last year set a new record with 149,220 units.

That figures is up 1,094 units from the prior year so the increase amounts to only a 0.7% gain, according to the 2013 National Association of Convenience Stores/Nielsen Convenience Industry Store Count. Even so, the growth is noteworthy at a time when overall expansion of selling space in the broader retailer industry has remained stagnant even though the recession officially ended in 2009.

Tampa, Fla. -- Applied Data Corp. said Wednesday that regional grocery chain Carlie C’s has selected ADC’s – a provider of fresh item management, recipe management, and scales management software – InterScale Scales Management Software system.
 


SHELTON, Conn. — Schick, an Energizer Personal Care brand, is expanding the Schick Hydro franchise of razors with the launch of new Schick Hydro 5 disposables and Schick Hydro Silk disposables.

New York -- Wegmans has confirmed plans to open a store in Alexandria, Va., in 2014, according to Washington Business Journal.

The store will be located in Hilltop Village, which is being developed by Houston-based Weingarten Realty Investors. The project will feature some 250,000 sq. ft. of retail, anchored by the 143,000-sq.-ft. Wegmans, and 100,000 sq. ft. of office.

Schenectady, N.Y. -- Price Chopper Supermarkets/Golub Corp. announced that Sam Wagar has been promoted to the position of VP technical services, reporting directly to R. Gregory Zeh, Jr., VP Information Systems, CIO.

In his new position, Sam will be responsible for assessing, maintaining and recommending technology products and services to support the delivery of enterprise-wide technical services. He will oversee the corporate help desk, technical maintenance, technical operations, technical services and information integration.