The Latest

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  Sam’s Club bridges online and in-store data gap

  Through the retailer’s new feature, advertisers can now gather real-time, first-party insights on members’ in-store purchases. 

  E-commerce

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  UNFI’s head of retail to depart

  Mike Stigers, who oversees the Cub Foods and Shoppers Food & Pharmacy chains, will stay on with the company until the end of May.

  Corporate Operations

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  Weis Markets names new private brands director

  The regional grocer has promoted Alison Gregas to the role.

  Corporate Operations

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  Giant Eagle CEO abruptly departs

  The company has parted ways with Laura Shapira Karet, who served as chief executive since 2012, and named Bill Artman as its interim leader.

  Corporate Operations

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  Cardenas Markets names new CEO

  Eric Stover, who joined the grocery company three years ago and most recently served as chief merchandising officer, assumes the role previously held by Doug Sanders. 

  Corporate Operations

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  UNFI appoints new COO and president of wholesale

  The internal promotions come as the company revamps its leadership ranks and looks to improve efficiency through automation.

  Corporate Operations

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  Harris Teeter revamps its marketing approach

  The Kroger-owned supermarket chain has rolled out a new logo and tagline as well as a modernized version of its familiar bread, fish and apple icon.

  Corporate Operations

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  Food donation marketplace Careit expands nationwide

  Whole Foods Market, Target and Sprouts Farmers Market are among the retailers that currently use the food rescue app. 

  Fresh food

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  Walmart ramps up connected TV ambitions

  The retailer is integrating solutions from Innovid, including a creative optimization tool, with Walmart DSP as premium video becomes a retail media battleground.

  Technology

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  Sprouts acquires two stores in Southern California

  The Phoenix-based grocer purchased two independently owned locations bearing its name in Chula Vista, California.

  Finances and Deals

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  Schnucks rolls out tech-enabled salad bars as it jumps back into self-service

  The grocer last Wednesday opened the first of 22 AI-driven self-service stations from Picadeli that it plans to install, and will debut two more this week, a company official said.

  Fresh food

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  Wakefern brews up new private label coffee partnership

  NuZee will bring three new single-serve coffee brew-bag items to roughly 250 ShopRite stores under the Bowl & Basket brand.  

  Center store

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  Albertsons expands Open Nature and gives the brand a makeover

  The grocer has added 12 new plant-based products, including yogurt alternatives, and now offers 100% domestically raised, grass-fed Angus beef.

  Center store

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  Dollar General investing $100M in its stores, with a focus on boosting labor

  The discounter recently opened its 19,000th location and saw sales as well as comps rise in its fourth financial quarter as inflation helped drive results.

  Fresh food

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  Column

  The Friday Checkout: Automation takes center stage

  Grocers have been turning to a variety of tech, robotics and AI to boost customer experience, speed up processes on the retail floor and streamline supply chain management.

  Technology

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  What grocers can expect with food prices, inflation in 2023

  Although inflation is coming down, high grocery prices will continue and consumer price sensitivity is growing, experts from the Food Industry Association said Wednesday.

  Center store

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  Kroger sees e-commerce as future profit engine

  The retailer is looking to its automation partnership with Ocado and its young retail media business to help achieve its goal of making money online, Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen said Wednesday.

  E-commerce

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  UNFI adds robots, scanning tech to its ‘transformation agenda’

  The wholesaler and retailer unveiled plans for new digital capabilities at a Washington state distribution center a week after reporting that its profits took a nosedive in the second quarter.

  Technology

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  Online grocery shopping habits shift among loyal consumers

  The base of monthly active users — the most engaged group of online shoppers — fell to its lowest level since March 2020, according to the latest monthly survey from Brick Meets Click and Mercatus.

  E-commerce

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  Boxed considers filing for bankruptcy

  The e-commerce company, which sells bulk-sized pantry items and runs a fresh grocery delivery business in the New York City area, is facing tension with lenders amid a tightening cash position.

  E-commerce

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  Kroger to deploy driverless trucks in Dallas

  The grocer plans to begin using vehicles from autonomous-vehicle supplier Gatik to transport products between an e-commerce warehouse and several stores during the second quarter of 2023.

  E-commerce

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  BJ’s to roll out inventory robots chainwide

  The club retailer is following grocers including Schnuck Markets, Hy-Vee and The Save Mart Companies in deploying Simbe Robotics’s automated vehicles, which use computer vision-driven cameras to scan shelves.

  Technology

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  Meijer and Flashfood expand tie-up to include SNAP payments

  The Midwestern grocer is the first of the food waste solution company’s partners to make the payment method accessible on the company’s app. 

  Finances and Deals

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  What grocery execs are saying about inflation and consumer behavior

  During their most recent earnings calls, leaders at Kroger, Ahold Delhaize and other companies discussed shoppers’ price concerns and how inflation is moderating unevenly across categories.

  Center store

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  Grocery inflation cools again in February

  Food-at-home prices rose in February at a 10.2% annual rate, down from 11.3% the month before, the federal government reported Tuesday.

  Center store

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