News

Sears lowers the ax again
Sears Holdings continues to shrink its traditional store portfolio even as it plans to open more smaller, specialty stores. The embattled retailer on Friday announced that it will close 43 more locations -- eight Sears stores and 35 Kmart locations -- by early October. This is on top of the 265 store closings that it has already announced for this year.
Two California grocers to merge; more stores planned
Two Hispanic supermarket chains are merging with an eye to extending their footprint beyond their home base. Private equity firm KKR announced it is combining Cardenas Markets and Mi Pueblo, which KKR (and Victory Park Capital) acquired at the end of last year. The combined business will operate as Cardenas Markets LLC and will become one of the largest Hispanic supermarket chains in the country.

Organic Garage, Toronto

Organic Garage has opened an urban-inspired flagship that takes its design cues from the industrial surroundings and city streetscapes of its locale. Located in Toronto’s west-end Junction neighborhood, the 15,000-sq.-ft. grocery store incorporates murals and graffiti, street signs, pavement markings, guardrails, street lights, and building signs. To add to the authenticity, a local graffiti artist painted over brick walls giving a vibrant and urban feel to the space.
Report: Amazon beat out six other suitors for Whole Foods Market

As it turns out, there was lots of interest in Whole Foods Market. The retailer was fielding other potential deals, including approaches by four private equity firms and two unnamed companies identified only as "Company X" and "Company Y," when Amazon made its move, CNBC reported.
Amazon adds Prime Now deals to Prime Day mix

Amazon wants to get Prime Day deals into shoppers hands even faster. The online giant has added exclusive deals related to its Prime Now service to its Prime Day shopping extravaganza — a move that will get qualifying purchases to members within two hours. These deals will begin on Saturday, July 8 (two days prior to Prime Day’s launch), and run through July 11.
Sam’s Club testing new delivery programs

A warehouse club chain is making it easier for business customers to receive their online orders. Sam’s Club is testing a business delivery program in Dallas. Besides enabling business owners to place orders online, new services offer members a choice in how they receive merchandise.
Kroger is defending its turf

The nation's largest supermarket operator is suing the German discount grocer Lidl over trademark infringement. In a complaint filed last week in U.S. District Court in Virginia, Kroger claims that Lidl’s house brand, “Preferred Selection,” too closely resembles Kroger's own brand, “Private Selection.”
Jet.com tries its hand at online sampling

Walmart’s e-commerce arm is shaking up its customer engagement efforts. Jet.com is adopting product sampling to forge stronger relationships with its online shoppers. Though a partnership with BrandShare, the online retailer will deliver 300,000 premium product samples and exclusive offers each month inside e-commerce packages. BrandShare is a long-time partner of Jet’s parent company, Walmart.
Quick-service giant delivers on-demand ice cream

Baskin-Robbins is making sure its customers get their ice cream fix exactly when they crave it. On July 6, the quick service company launched a service that enables customers in 22 cities to order ice cream online and have it delivered in under an hour. Through its partnership with DoorDash, Baskin-Robbins shoppers can order a variety of frozen treats — from pre-packed quarts to sundaes — either online or via the DoorDash mobile app. The app is available for Android and iOS devices.
BDO: The top risk factors for retailers are....

Consumer confidence remains strong, but that's not stopping retailers from worrying about the economy. General economic conditions ranked as a top risk factor for the 9th consecutive year in an annual ranking of the top 25 risk factors by retailers, cited by 100% of respondents. Cybersecurity and regulatory concerns shared the top spot with the economy.