Supermarket/Grocery

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Thursday it will reduce prices on groceries by $1 billion in 2012, in hopes to draw customers in and encourage them to cross-shop in other areas of the store.

Wal-Mart had $145 billion in grocery sales last year in the United States, making it the largest player in terms of domestic grocery sales. It says the price reductions in food and consumables are an investment and won’t impact margins especially if shoppers respond as planned with additional traffic and loyalty.

Houston -- A report in the Houston Chronicle said that grocer Trader Joe’s is opening two additional Houston-area locations — one in the Memorial area and one in Montrose.

In November Trader Joe’s announced its first planned Houston area store in The Woodlands Crossing Shopping Center.

All three stores are slated to open this year. The Memorial-area store will be 14,000 sq. ft., the Montrose store will be 14,500 sq. ft. and the store at The Woodlands will be 13,500 sq. ft.

Boston-based The Wilder Cos. has taken on a new leasing and management assignment – the open-air specialty shopping center The Shops at Valley Square, in Warrington, Pa.

Located in Bucks County, Pa., just north of Philadelphia, The Shops at Valley Square is part of a 140-acre mixed-use development that includes office, retail and residential.

SALISBURY, N.C. — Food Lion continues to implement its new strategy of offering greater value on store brands and being competitive on national brands, while providing a convenient shopping experience. The company announced that it has launched the strategy in 268 stores in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. These markets are the first stores in 2012 to unveil the new strategy, the company said.

NEW YORK — Customer experience is highly correlated to loyalty in both the United States and the United Kingdom, according to a new report by Temkin Group.

According to "The ROI of Customer Experience" study, a $1 billion U.S. company can generate between $141 million and $382 million over three years if it makes a modest improvement in the customer experience it delivers.

Walk into a Target store anywhere in the U.S. and it’s a safe bet there will be at least a few customer rummaging through the bins of single price point merchandise in the Dollar Spot located just inside store entrances. The ever changing assortment’s treasure hunt appeal and single price point value proposition are simply too much for many customers to bypass. It is enough to make wanna-be merchants wonder if further expansion of the concept makes sense for Target, especially considering the raging success companies such as Dollar General and Family Dollar are having.

Salisbury, N.C. -- Grocery chain Food Lion, a subsidiary of Delhaize America, said Wednesday that it has rolled out a previously announced new brand strategy to 268 stores in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. These markets are the first stores in 2012 to unfurl the new strategy, which is based on customer feedback. 

New York -- Customer experience is highly correlated to loyalty in both the United States and the United Kingdom, according to a new report by Temkin Group.

According to "The ROI of Customer Experience" study, a $1 billion U.S. company can generate between $141 million and $382 million over three years if it makes a modest improvement in the customer experience it delivers.

Surging gas prices this spring could jeopardize Walmart’s tenuous same-store sales recovery as consumers have less disposable income and opt to shop at outlets closer to home. At least that was how the situation played out in the recent past when gas prices surged above $4. Are things different now?

NEW YORK — Fortune has released its 2012 list of the most admired companies, and it should come as no surprise that Apple topped the list. Even with the passing of Steve Jobs, the company didn't miss a beat delivering products that are still in high demand, increasing sales and delivering soaring profits for its investors.

Also on the list were a number of retailers including third-ranked Amazon.com, 20th-ranked Costco Wholesale, 24th-ranked Wal-Mart Stores, 25th-ranked Target, 28th-ranked Whole Foods Market and 41st ranked eBay.