The Friday Checkout is a weekly column providing more insight on the news, rounding up the announcements you may have missed and sharing what’s to come.
Kroger is parting ways with Florida as it prepares to close its fleet of fulfillment centers dedicated to e-commerce in the state.
In a bid to improve its e-commerce profitability, Kroger announced Tuesday a string of initiatives it will enact in the new year, including shuttering three automated customer fulfillment centers, or CFCs, it established in partnership with British e-grocer and technology firm Ocado, one of which is in Groveland, Florida.
But WARN notices filed on Wednesday paint a more comprehensive picture. Spoke facilities in Jacksonville, Rockledge and Tampa, which receive orders picked at the Groveland CFC, are on the chopping block as well.
In total, Kroger is laying off more than 1,400 non-union employees due to the facility closures in Florida, Kroger wrote in the WARN notices.
Despite having no brick-and-mortar store presence in the Sunshine State, Kroger had big dreams of establishing a strong e-commerce presence that would win over the region’s large and growing population. But it appears there is only room for one big-time grocer in Florida — and that’s Publix.
The powerhouse regional grocer no doubt played a part in pushing Kroger out of the state. And, unfortunately for Kroger, Publix is also getting comfortable in the greater Cincinnati area, Kroger’s home turf.
In case you missed it
Walmart transfers to the Nasdaq
Walmart announced Thursday it will transfer its listing of common stock from the New York Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq Stock Market beginning Dec. 9 under the symbol “WMT.” The company said the move reflects its shared values with Nasdaq, including a focus on technology and innovation.
“Moving to Nasdaq aligns with the people-led, tech-powered approach to our long-term strategy,” CFO John David Rainey said in a statement. “Walmart is setting a new standard for omnichannel retail by integrating automation and AI to build smarter, faster and more connected experiences for customers, while enabling our associates to deliver even greater value at scale.”
Sam’s Club’s croissants sell like hotcakes
Shoppers are looking high and low for deals these days — and apparently, fresh-baked goods are a sweet spot for retailers. When Sam’s Club recently knocked $1 off the price of a box of fresh-baked croissants, volume sales doubled, Chris Nicholas, the retailer’s president and CEO, said during parent company Walmart’s Q3 earnings call Thursday.
“We had to remove the shelf that we put them on because the volume that we were selling was … so huge. I think people really respond to great items at great prices,” he said.
Winn-Dixie adds Amazon return kiosks to dozens of stores
The Southeast grocer announced this week it’s adding Amazon’s product return kiosks to 68 stores across 23 counties in Florida. The rollout builds on a recent pilot program and brings the kiosks to nearly 90 Winn-Dixie stores.
Amazon’s return kiosks let customers send back products they purchased through the e-tailer and don’t require shoppers to provide packing equipment.
In addition to the kiosks, Winn-Dixie also recently linked with Amazon to provide e-commerce delivery from select stores in Florida.
Impulse find
SpartanNash loves butter
Given butter’s status as a longtime American culinary staple and a go-to for all sorts of Thanksgiving dishes, it doesn’t seem to need promoting this time of year. And yet, that’s just what SpartanNash is dishing out this November.
The grocery company this week unveiled a press announcement and a website dedicated to the humble ingredient that so many U.S. shoppers have a love-hate relationship with. These include a host of factoids based on a recent survey confirming that, yep, people still love butter. Among them:
- Two-thirds of Americans say they’ll be doomed if they run out of butter when cooking their holiday meals.
- 61% say they “literally cannot live without” butter.
- 9% strongly agree that adding a little butter takes an average dish to the next level.
Besides providing people with a glut of butter-related insights, SpartanNash’s main aim here is to promote its new line of private label flavored butters, available only for a limited time. This includes garlic herb butter, cinnamon butter, truffle butter and a spicy concoction known as “cowboy butter.”
After so many years of getting pummeled by health enthusiasts and the medical community, it’s about time butter got its moment in the spotlight.
