Supermarket/Grocery

PLEASANTON, Calif. and WASHINGTON — The Humane Society of the United States is praising Safeway's efforts to establish a gestation stall-free supply chain.

Safeway annnounced Monday that, due to concernes over animal welfare, it is working toward the goal of purchasing pork from producers that have made commitments to decreasing gestation stalls in their breeding facilities.

Montreal -- More than 80% of U.S consumers more likely to become loyal customers to retailers that provide an integrated experience across channels, according to a study by Hybris, a multichannel commerce and communication software provider. In other findings, high shipping costs are the biggest deterrent to online purchases, while easy navigation and simple checkout are the biggest factors influencing purchases.

Washington, D.C. -- Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports will be flat in May compared with the same month last year, but is expected to see solid year-over-year increases through this summer and the back-to-school season, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Chelmsford, Mass. -- Hannaford Bros. Co., the second-largest New England-based supermarket chain, has enhanced its workforce management suite of solutions from Kronos Inc.

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets experienced a jump in its net income and operating income during the first quarter ended March 31, the retailer said.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Supermarket retailer Harris Teeter experienced a boost in second-quarter sales, as well as sales for the first half of fiscal year 2012, the company said.

Sales for the second quarter ended April 1, sales rose 6.7% to $1.12 billion, compared with the year-ago period, while the 26-week period experienced a sales boost of 7.6% to $2.24 billion, compared with the same period last year.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart is introducing prescription pet medications at its stores, the mass-merchandise retail chain said Friday.

The company said the new program was designed to make it easier for customers to get branded and generic pet drugs and more convenient to shop for the whole family. More than 60% of American households own a pet, and families spent more than $50 billion on their pets in 2011, according to the American Pet Products Association.

Plenty of people shop Walmart’s stores for their groceries but go elsewhere to buy meat. Now the company is looking to convert a larger percentage of its more discriminating shoppers to purchasers of meat with a new quality-based initiative supported by an innovative shopper marketing strategy and a national ad campaign.

MINNEAPOLIS — April same-store sales at Target increased 1.1% and helped the company achieve a 5.3% first-quarter comps increase that was the highest in six years. How much of the performance was due to record warm weather versus good execution of a solid strategy against the back drop of an improved economy is debatable.

NEW YORK — Several apparel retailers, including Limited Brands, Zumiez and Ross Stores, posted better-than-expected sales in April. It was widely expected that an earlier Easter, which pushed demand into March, and cool weather would hurt sales.

Limited Brands, parent of Victoria’s Secret, reported a 7% rise in same-store sales for April, beating estimates.