Supermarket/Grocery

New York -- Loblaw Cos. Ltd.’s acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. has been approved by Canada’s Competition Bureau. The $12.4 billion (US$11 billion) deal is expected to close on March 28.

To win approval from the Competition Bureau, Loblaw agreed to sell 18 stores and nine in-store pharmacies.

Montvale, N.J. -- The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) announced that company COO Paul Hertz has been appointed president and CEO, effective immediately. He succeeds Sam Martin. In January, A&P confirmed Martin’s departure.

Ottawa, Canada – E-commerce solution provider Canada Post and and e-commerce integrator Thinkwrap Commerce have launched new collaboration designed to simplify and accelerate incorporation of Canada Post's shipping data into Oracle Commerce. By making it easier for retailers to incorporate Canada Post's data with Oracle Commerce, the collaboration between Thinkwrap and Canada Post is designed to help retailers strengthen their e-commerce customer experience by providing shoppers with choice and convenience.

Covington, La. — Stirling Properties has announced the opening of a full-service Walgreens in Terrytown on the Westbank of New Orleans. The new drugstore stands on the site of a former shopping center anchored by an A&P Grocery store and an Eckerd Drug store.

Trace One, a product lifecycle management company focused on private label, named Mark Martini to its executive team.

Martini, a veteran CPG executive, will lead Trace One’s sales and customer development efforts in North America. Martini has spent 23 years in the CPG world working for companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Catalina Marketing, DemandTec and Symphony IRI Group. Trace One said Martini will leverage his knowledge of consumer demand, shopper insights, price and trade optimization and other go-to-market strategies in his new role as vp of North America.

New York -- Walmart has introduced an online feature, called “Savings Catcher,” that allows shoppers to compare prices on the chain’s food and household products against those of its competitors, according to the Associated Press. General merchandise  categories and electronics are not included, and neither are purchases of store brands or those made online.

Walmart began offering the new service in late February, the report said, in seven markets, including Dallas, San Diego and Atlanta.

New York — Muss Development LLC is acquiring a 5,000-sq.-ft. retail condominium located at the base of the Touraine Condominium at 865 Lexington Avenue on New York City’s Upper East Side. Immediately upon closing, Muss will enter into a long-term lease with Le Pain Quotidien for its 31st location in Manhattan.

Known for its organic bread and cakes, Le Pain Quotidien will take the ground-floor retail component.

In the sales transaction, Jones Lang LaSalle represented both Muss Development and the seller, Lex 65.

Supervalu reduced its organizational structure from three divisions to two and name Kevin Kemp president of the east region and Bill Chew president of the west region.

The company did not indicate what roles Kemp and Chew played in the organization previously, but did note that the east region will be headquartered in Mechanicsville, VA and the west region will be based in Hopkins, MN near the company’s Eden Prairie headquarters.