The Latest

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  H-E-B expands its discount format

  Several years after opening its last Joe V’s location, H-E-B is reigniting the banner with two locations set to open in Dallas by 2025.

  Alternative formats

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  Go big or go small: Grocers see early success with new store formats

  Wegmans and Meijer recently opened scaled-down stores while H-E-B and Hy-Vee have debuted new supercenter formats. All four are driving traffic and reaching new shoppers, data from Placer.ai shows.

  Alternative formats

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  How two regional grocers are positioning themselves as community health resources

  FMI - The Food Industry Association has released a new video highlighting efforts by Northgate Gonzalez Market and Food City to harness the food-as-medicine trend to promote shopper well-being.

  Corporate Operations

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  Sprouts spotlights plant-based sales boom, refrigerant changes

  In a new report, the specialty grocery chain shared its sustainability progress in 2022 and described upcoming efforts for this year.

  Corporate Operations

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  How 9 food retailers are jazzing up their private brands

  From expanding their store brand portfolios to creating new supplier partnerships, grocers and discounters are ramping up efforts to make their own products shine.

  Center store

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  Why Sprouts rolled into Florida with a mobile grocery tour

  The Sprouts Mobile Truck’s first-ever road trip aimed to familiarize customers with popular items and the grocer’s overall mission ahead of store openings in the markets it visited.

  Alternative formats

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  Wegmans to close mall-based location near Boston

  The East Coast grocery chain said it will shutter the 134,000-square-foot store in Natick, Massachusetts, this summer after determining the location is not financially viable.

  Alternative formats

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  Foxtrot opens its biggest store to date on Monday

  The new site features an indoor-outdoor covered patio in addition to the chain’s signature locally sourced food and beverage options.

  Corporate Operations

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  SpartanNash sees slowing comps in Q1 but predicts solid full-year results

  The grocery distributor and supermarket operator recorded a same-store sales increase of 5.4% during its first quarter — its slowest rate of growth by that measure since Q3 of 2021.

  Corporate Operations

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  Dollar General cuts guidance, shareholders OK safety audit

  The retailer also plans to slow the opening pace of its PopShelf stores this year.

  Finances and Deals

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  Column

  The Friday Checkout: Debt ceiling bill has controversial SNAP changes

  The bill heading to President Joe Biden's desk would boost government spending on the federal assistance program while altering work requirements for participant eligibility.

  Corporate Operations

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  PCC launches Inclusive Trade Program to highlight brand diversity

  The new certification program is designed to increase the visibility of businesses owned by individuals part of “historically and currently excluded communities.”

  Center store

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  Morton Williams to roll out smart carts

  The New York City supermarket chain has ordered 100 tech-enabled grocery carts from Israel-based Cust2Mate following a pilot at a single store.

  Technology

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  Aldi launches 30-minute delivery

  Aldi Express offers a selection of nearly 2,000 items and joins other services from Kroger, Publix and Ahold Delhaize aimed at satisfying online demand for impulse and fill-in trips.

  E-commerce

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  Albertsons gives its Signature private brands a single identity

  The grocer is bringing its Signature Farms, Signature Care and Signature Cafe private labels under its flagship Signature Select brand and has launched a new advertising campaign to promote the expanded product line.

  Corporate Operations

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  Instacart begins nationwide rollout of ChatGPT search tool

  The tool allows customers to find products as well as recipes, food prep tips and more using “natural language” instead of keyword-based searches. 

  Technology

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  Instacart piloting ‘favorite shopper’ feature

  The option, which allows consumers to single out their preferred in-store shoppers to fulfill future orders, will roll out in the coming weeks among select users. 

  E-commerce

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  Kroger to stock mobile market in Lexington, Kentucky

  The Mobile Market is scheduled to make around 20 stops between July and September to address food accessibility issues throughout the city. 

  Alternative formats

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  Dollar General promotes multiple executives

  The discounter has elevated Chad Fox to the role of senior vice president and chief marketing officer as well as given him responsibility for its digital operations.

  Corporate Operations

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  On Special: Town & Country Markets rolls out private label sushi brand

  The Seattle-area grocer has brought the staple supermarket food offering in-house, selling items like traditional rolls, hot rice bowls and fresh seafood under its new Maka store line.

  Center store

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  Aldi says its latest price cuts will save shoppers more than $60M

  The summer promotion reduces the cost of more than 250 items as grocers continue to find ways to support shoppers impacted by inflation.

  Finances and Deals

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  Larger fresh assortments take center stage at remodeled stores

  A Raley’s store in Reno, Nevada, has an expanded made-to-order salad bar among its new options, while a soon-to-open Natural Grocers store in Amarillo, Texas, boasts a bigger produce section.

  Alternative formats

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  Wood vs. plastic: Which pallets are more sustainable?

  More pallet companies are marketing their products’ sustainability amid growing attention to ESG practices, fueling an ongoing debate over whether one substrate is superior.

  Corporate Operations

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  Column

  The Friday Checkout: After the pandemic and inflation, could a price war be next for grocers?

  Food retailers have shouldered much of the blame for the gaping holes inflation has eaten into shoppers’ budgets. What will the fight to change that perception cost them?

  E-commerce

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  NGA says proposed WIC online ordering rule can be more accessible to independents

  The trade group said it supports the USDA’s efforts to make e-commerce capabilities available to smaller grocers that participate in the nutrition program, but feels the concept needs further clarification.

  E-commerce

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