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Grocery Stores

Consumers Swarm to Discounters for Grocery Items, Don’t Switch Back

Though consumer prices have fallen, those who started buying grocery itmes at discount stores have not switched back to their traditional grocery stores, reports the Gannett News Service.

Because canned foods and other staples are still cheaper at discount retailers like Dollar General and Wal-Mart, many are going more often to those stores for food and beverage purchases. Some 36% of consumers...
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‘Wal-Mart’s Worst Nightmare’

British megaretailer Tesco is challenging Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, on its home turf, the US—though Wal-Mart is fighting back using Tesco’s own tactics, writes BusinessWeek.

Wal-Mart countered Tesco’s Nov. 2007 launch of Fresh & Easy—a chain of 10,000 sq. ft. convenience stores in California, Nevada, and Arizona—with its own similar-format Marketside, in Arizona.

Still, “Tesco is...
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Retailers Beware: Worst Is Yet to Come, but Hope on Horizon

Retailers that survived the 2008 holiday season shouldn’t pin their hopes on the new year, as retail sales will remain weak throughout 2009 and won’t rebound until 2010, TNS Retail Forward forecasts.

For 2009, sales growth for the year (excluding automobiles and gasoline) is forecast to approach 2% compared with the 2.3% average growth for 2008 through November, based on data reported by the US...
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OPEC Loss Grocers’ Gain: Most Likely Place for Americans to Spend Pump Savings

Groceries are the top item on which US consumers are spending their savings from lower gas prices, ahead of putting the money in savings, holiday gift-buying, and paying off credit cards, according to research from retail analytics firm Precima.

Of the 3,013 consumers who were asked to choose from a list of ways they use money saved on gas, 48% said they’re spending it on groceries, followed by...
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Wal-Mart Announces Tender Offer for Chile’s D&S

Wal-Mart Stores will launch a tender offer to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares and American Depositary Shares of Distribución y Servicio D&S SA, Wal-Mart said in a statement.

The tender offer price is denominated at $0.408 per common share—a premium of approximately 37.4% over the average closing price for the prior 30 trading days.

D&S, Chile’s largest grocer, has a market...
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Green Consumers Still Willing to Pay More for Natural and Organic Products

Despite a tough economic outlook, green consumers are willing to pay more for green and environmentally friendly products in 2008, according to a recent MamboTrack study by Mambo Sprouts Marketing.

Some 1,000 natural-product consumers were surveyed and forecast their expected purchases for the coming year.

Among the survey findings:

Most natural consumers said they would pay more for...
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NY Requires Large Retail Stores to Recycle Plastic Bags

New York Governor David Paterson signed legislation over the weekend that will require larger retail stores to recycle plastic carry-out bags or face fines from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Business Review reports (via Environmental Leader).

The new law will take effect on Jan. 1, 2009 and applies to stores that have more than 10,000 square feet of space, or are chains...
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Whole Foods Sues FTC over Wild Oats Merger Battle

Whole Foods Market filed a lawsuit Monday in the US District Court of Washington (DC) against the Federal Trade Commission, which has been challenging the company’s merger with Wild Oats Markets, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The suit accuses the FTC of prejudicial treatment of, and due-process violations against, Whole Foods, which bought out rival Wild Oats for $565 in August 2007.

Though...
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Kroger Reports Strong Q3 Sales, Safeway Adjusts to Weak Economy

Kroger’s Q3 net income was down slightly from last year ($237.7 million, $0.36/share), when it was $253.8 million ($.037 cents/share). Adjusted for a $25 million deductible payment related to Hurricane Ike, however, earnings were $0.39 per share, writes MarketWatch.

Total sales at Kroger, which also operates the Littman and Barclay jewelry chains, rose 9% to $17.58 billion from $16.14 billion a...
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No. 4 UK Supermarket Chain Expands

The Morrison supermarket chain—the smallest of the four main UK grocery companies—is putting 403 million pounds sterling ($587 million) toward store and warehouse expansion, Bloomberg reports.

The company’s first purchase of 38 stores from Co-operative Group will add 500,000 square feet of store space, or nearly 5% of Morrison’s total, at a cost of 223.1 million pounds, or $325 million. The...
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