News Briefs

Whole Foods Market has expanded the footprint of its small format store concept in the Big Apple.

The Amazon-owned natural and organic grocer opened its latest Whole Foods Market Daily Shop location in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn on Feb. 26. The 7,888-sq.-ft. store offers guests a wide selection of produce, meat and seafood, prepared foods options, supplements, personal care items and more in a scaled-down footprint.

The opening comes as Amazon is reprioritizing its grocery footprint. The retail giant recently announced plans to close its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores, converting various locations into Whole Foods stores. Amazon plans to open more than 100 new Whole Foods locations over the next few years.

Whole Foods revealed in March 2024 that it planned to debut a “quick-shop,” smaller-store concept, with the format ranging between 7,000 sq. ft. to 14,000 sq. ft., which is about a quarter to half the footprint of an average 40,000 sq. ft. store. Whole Foods opened its first Daily Shop in September 2024, in the Lenox Hill neighborhood of Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting local communities, Whole Foods Market will make food donations to City Harvest, through the company's Nourishing Our Neighborhoods program, which aims to enhance the ability of local food rescue organizations to transport surplus food to areas facing the greatest need. Whole Foods Market will also donate to Trinity Human Services in New York City.

[READ MORE: Sprouts Farmers Market to open 40-plus stores in 2026]

Headquartered in Austin, Whole Foods Market operates more than 545 stores across the U.S., Canada and the U.K.

The chairman and CEO of Brookshire Grocery Company has retired.

Brad Brookshire has served the company for 49 years, including 20 years as chairman of the board and 10 years as CEO. He is the grandson of company founder W.T. Brookshire.

The grocery store retailer said that Jerry LeClair will assume the role of interim CEO. LeClair joined Brookshire as executive VP, chief merchant officer in 2019 and has more than 40 years in the grocery business. LeClair was promoted to COO last year and has led retail operations, marketing, category management, merchandising, fuel, logistics and facility services. 

In his time with the company, Brookshire served in all areas of the business before becoming CEO. He was instrumental in the development of the Super 1 Foods banner over 41 years ago. During Brookshire’s time as CEO, the company established and expanded the banner of Spring Market, acquired the Reasor’s banner in Tulsa,  and expanded the Super 1 Foods and Fresh by Brookshire’s banners. In total, the company grew from 152 stores to 222 stores. 

“From growing up in this company and watching my grandfather lead the company, to stepping into the shoes myself, it has been the greatest honor to be chairman and CEO of Brookshire Grocery Company,” Brookshire said. “BGC’s success has always been driven by our employee-partners, our customers, and our communities, and I’m thankful for the support that has carried this company forward for nearly a century.”

Brookshire Grocery  is a regional family-owned grocery business that operates more than 220 stores in four states – Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma – with three distribution centers.

NewMark Merrill announced that it has received entitlements to build Desert Sky Plaza II, a 297,000-sq.-ft. shopping center in Victorville, Calif., some 40 miles northeast of the Los Angeles city limits.

Designed by Architects Orange and Kimley Horn, Desert Sky Plaza II will be the second phase of the existing Home Depot-anchored Desert Sky Plaza.

The new phase will be anchored by Target, Burlington, and several other soft goods retailers.

“Desert Sky Plaza II is the culmination of our partnership with the city of Victorville and our commitment to the High Desert region,” said NewMark Merrill CEO Sandy Sigal. “We are extremely excited to bring much needed retail, restaurants, and services to this region as it continues to grow.” 

NewMark Merill projects the property will generate some 6.5 million annual visits when open. 

Desert Sky Plaza is roughly 70% pre-committed but still has availability for a wide range of tenants including junior anchor, drive-thru, carwash, pad, and retail shop spaces ranging from 1,500 square feet to 25,000 square feet. 

Consumers are growing increasingly comfortable with using generative AI as a shopping tool, especially for certain activities.

More than half (56%) of U.S. consumers reported using generative AI during the holiday shopping season. The latest quarterly “In Sync with Consumers” survey from Synchrony reveals that among those consumers, the top holiday shopping use cases for generative AI were product discovery (34%) and deal hunting (29%), accounting for approximately one-third of generative AI shopping usage across all age demographics

In addition, 75% of respondents said they are taking more time to find the best price, which according to Synchrony analysis indicates AI may be playing a growing role in shopping, payments, loyalty, and financing decisions.

[READ MORE: Survey: More than half of Americans use Gen AI for e-commerce monthly]

Generational differences

The survey also reveals that in general, Gen Z respondents have higher levels of comfort shopping with generative AI assistance than older respondents:

• 45% of Gen Z respondents report they are comfortable taking product recommendations from an AI too.l
• 44% of Gen Z respondents are comfortable taking financing options from an AI tool.
• 41% of Gen Z respondents expect to use an AI agent to complete shopping tasks on their behalf in the future.

In comparison, only 25% of boomer respondents report they are comfortable taking product recommendations from an AI tool, while less than 20% are comfortable taking financing recommendations or having an AI agent shop on their behalf. 

The survey captures ongoing monthly sentiment from a nationally representative sample of 1,000 U.S. consumers aged 18 and older, balanced to reflect U.S. Census demographics. These results were collected between Oct. 1 – Dec. 5, 2025.

Image courtesy of Nichcha.

Walgreens is rolling out a new 'hybrid pharmacist' role in an effort to combat burnout and workforce gaps among its employees.

The program, which allows pharmacists to work both in-store and in centralized settings such as regional support sites, micro-fulfillment centers, and approved work‑at‑home environments, is a “first of its kind” role, according to the pharmacy retailer.

In a blog post on Walgreens’ website, content development manager Mike Huffman noted that the hybrid role offers predictable schedules, varied pharmacy practice settings, and can expand pharmacy career pathways without leaving direct patient care behind.

So far, the hybrid pharmacist position has been rolled out in six states: Arkansas, Missouri, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Walgreens says that early feedback and interest in the role have been strong, with participating pharmacists noting the “increased flexibility” and “differentiated work experience” as key benefits.

[READ MORE: Walgreens expands automated pharmacy fulfillment network]

Founded in 1901, Walgreens operates approximately 8,500 stores throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico.