News Briefs

Instacart is partnering with officials in a Southeastern U.S. city to help ensure all inhabitants can get the food they need.

The grocery technology company is operating the Grocery Access Pilot (GAP) program with the city of Columbia, S.C. Following a successful first year in 2024, Instacart and Columbia are continuing it in 2025.

Using Instacart’s platform and technology, the GAP program connects residents living in Columbia’s “food deserts” (neighborhoods with limited sources of fresh or nutritious food) with greater access to a selection of fresh and healthy food from local grocers spanning national, regional and local chains.

Participants receive a membership in the Instacart+ membership program and monthly Instacart Health Fresh Funds grocery stipends  to help cover the cost of online grocery and delivery. 

Other Instacart efforts to combat food deserts include partnering with No Kid Hungry and Mercy Housing to expand access to nutritious food and health information for families living in affordable housing communities located in food deserts.

[READ MORE: Instacart partners with Maryland county to fight childhood hunger]

"Combining the expertise of public sector leaders with our nationwide grocery partnerships, technology, and reach, we can help address nutrition insecurity head on," Casey Aden-Wansbury, VP of policy & government affairs at Instacart, said in a company blog post. "We’re excited to continue to build on this progress and expand efforts to make food more accessible nationwide. Together with cities like Columbia, we’re breaking down barriers and helping create healthier communities."

Based in San Francisco, Instacart partners with more than 1,500 national, regional, and local retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 85,000 stores across North America on the Instacart Marketplace.

Walmart's latest acquisition is a shopping mall.

In late January, CBL Properties said that it had closed on the sale of Monroeville Mall and Annex in Monroeville, Penn. for $34.0 million, all cash. Although CBL did not say who bought the center, which is on a 186-acre site, in its statement, Walmart confirmed to CNBC that it bought the mall, which is located outside of Pittsburgh. (The news of the deal was first reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.)

In the CNBC report, Walmart said it “is very interested in being part of any future redevelopment of this site."

Texas-based Cypress Equities said it has been hired to manage and redevelop the property. Similar to CBL, it did not name the buyer in its statement.

Tenants at the two-level mall include Macy’s, H&M, Bath & Body Works, American Eagle, Lenscrafters, Victoria's Secret, Lids and more. The mall is also home to a Cinemark movie theatre. 

“We are excited to embark on this transformative project and bring a new vision to Monroeville Mall,” stated Chris Maguire, CEO of Cypress Equities. “We believe this redevelopment will create a vibrant and dynamic destination that serves the community and drives economic growth in the region.”

Famous Footwear has a new chief merchandising officer.

The retailer's parent company, Caleres, has announced that Brian Costello has joined Famous Footwear's C-suite, and will oversee all buying and merchandising, including women’s, men’s and kids’ athletic and fashion footwear and accessories, for the brand’s stores and e-commerce sites in the United States and Canada.

“Brian has a long track record of exceptional fashion and footwear industry leadership,” said Mike Edwards, president of Famous Footwear. “With expertise in merchandising and planning for both footwear and ready-to-wear, I’m confident he will help drive growth and achieve our ambitions at Famous Footwear.”

Costello brings with him nearly 30 years of retail experience. He joins Famous Footwear from Nordstrom, where he served in several roles over nearly 15 years, including most recently as VP and divisional merchandising manager of footwear & accessories.

“I’m proud to be joining Caleres and Famous Footwear,” said Costello. “As a retailer, many of our best wholesale partners were at Caleres. As a competitor, I always watched and shopped Famous Footwear. I’m honored to be leading such a strong merchant organization.”

Caleres’ portfolio of global brands includes Famous Footwear, Sam Edelman, Allen Edmonds, Naturalizer, Vionic and more. Famous Footwear operates more than 900 stores in North America.

Macy’s Inc. has decided to wind down an educational program for its employees.

The department store retailer confirmed in an email to Chain Store Age that it is discontinuing the program, which provided college degree programs and other educational courses to its employees at no cost. Macy’s launched the program, which was done in partnership with Guild, a leading education and upskilling platform, about three years ago.

According to Macy’s, the decision to end the program came after “careful” evaluation. The retailer found that program had limited benefits with regard to retention and internal promotions. (The program will end at the end of the current semester.)

Going forward, Macy’s noted it will continue to invest in educational initiatives, ones that better balance the needs of the company and its employees. The initiatives include a new partnership with Duolingo, a language-learning platform, based on business needs. 

In addition, Macy’s is expanding its LinkedIn Learnings program, which was previously accessible only to Macy’s corporate colleagues. It will now be available to frontline employees as well. 

In a statement to Chain Store Age, Guild said that it was disappointed that Macy’s made the decision to sunset their education benefits program. 

“We are proud of the impact we drove over the course of our partnership, including a reduction in employee turnover, an increase in career mobility, and strong employee engagement amongst Macy’s employees who participated,” the statement read.

Guild counts several major retailers among its clients, ranging from Love’s Travel Stops to Walmart to Chipotle. 

Southern casual-dining chain Huddle House is planning to expand its footprint in a key state.

The chain, known for all-day breakfast and homestyle food, has signed a multi-unit agreement with longtime operator Robert Wiggins Jr. to open new locations in rural Georgia. Wiggins, who currently operates locations in Hazlehurst, Baxley, Alma, Claxton and Reidsville, will add four locations in Douglas, Swainsboro and Pembroke to his portfolio.

“We are thrilled to see Robert continue expanding the Huddle House footprint,” said Kayla Edidin, senior director of franchise development at Huddle House. “His dedication to the brand and deep operational experience make him the perfect partner to help us strengthen our presence and serve more communities across the state.”

The first of the new locations is scheduled to open in the latter half of 2025. Huddle House has over 300 locations open or in development across the country. Last November, the chain signed its largest franchise deal ever, securing 20 new units across Texas.

“Our franchisees’ confidence in reinvesting with us has been a key driver of our expansion into new markets,” said Peter Ortiz, chief development officer at Ascent Development, part of Ascent Hospitality Management, which owns Huddle House. “Robert has been a trusted partner of the brand for years. His operational expertise and deep understanding of the Huddle House business model make him an invaluable asset as we continue to strengthen our presence in Georgia.”

[READ MORE: Survey: Restaurant leaders optimistic for 2025; plan to invest in…]

Founded in 1964, Huddle House is based in Atlanta.

The number of convenience stores in the U.S. declined in 2024 — but only very slightly.

There are 152,255 convenience stores in the U.S., down 141 stores (0.1%) compared to the 2024 store count, according to the 2025 NACS/NIQ TDLinx Convenience Industry Store Count. Operators with one to one to 10 stores account for 63% of the total. 

The number of convenience stores selling fuel increased 1.5% to 121,852 stores. (Convenience stores sell an estimated 80% of the fuel purchased in this country.)

Texas continues to have the most convenience stores (16,416 stores), followed by California (12,169) and Florida (9,732).  Other states in the lead include New York (7,704), Georgia (7,053), Ohio (5,795), North Carolina (5,779), Michigan (4,986), Pennsylvania (4,819) and Illinois (4,735).  

By store count, convenience stores far out number other brick-and-mortar channels. According to the NACS study, grocery, with 43,692 stores (down 3% from 2024), is second to the convenience channel, followed by dollar stores at 39,003 (up 1.5%), and drug stores at 38,514 (down 3.1%.)

With the U.S. population at an estimated 340 million according to the U.S. Census Bureau, there is one convenience store per every 2,233 people in the U.S.

 The 2025 NACS/NIQ TDLinx Convenience Industry Store Count is based on stores in operation as of Dec. 31, 2024. More details can be found at here.