Personnel Updates
Ahold USA named Jennifer Carr-Smith President and General Manager of Peapod and Paul Kneeland VP of Fresh Merchandising of the new Fresh Markets Division.
Andronico’s Community Markets named Suzy Monford CEO.
Food City appointed Mickey Blazer Exec VP of Store Operations for its Knoxville Division.
Kroger announced that Fred Morganthall has been named Senior VP of Retail Divisions.
Majority ownership of Raley’s Supermarkets has been transferred to Michael Teel. The company also announced that Keith Knopf has been named COO.
Riesbeck Food Markets named Jay Ropietski VP of Retail.
Wal-Mart named Greg Penner as its next Chairman.
Industry Insight
Bi-Lo Holdings, parent of the Winn-Dixie, Bi-Lo and Harveys chains, renamed itself Southeastern Grocers.
Enmark Stations announced that it has changed its name to enmarket. Over the next year it will rebrand all of its stores, many of which will feature The Eatery, enmarket’s own food concept.
Food Lion has launched a new website designed to make shopping, saving, and planning for dinner easy for shoppers.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc has begun pressuring meat, seafood, dairy and egg suppliers to reduce the use of antibiotics.
Whole Foods Market announced that it is naming its new chain: 365 Whole Foods Market.
Financial
Casey’s General Store reported fiscal year-end total sales of $7.77 billion, down from $7.84 billion.
Mergers and Acquisitions
Circle K closed on the acquisition of Tiger Tote’s 21 The Tote convenience stores and Johnson Oil’s 182 dealer locations.
Following its acquisition of 251 of Pacific Convenience & Fuels, United Oil Co. will begin doing business under United Pacific.
Thorntons Inc. announced that it will sell 8 of its convenience stores in various regions of the US, including all of its locations in Terra Haute, IN.
Real Estate
7-Eleven opened a location in Los Angeles International Airport.
Acme Market opened a store in Long Beach Township, NJ.
Aldi will open a store in West Bradenton, FL; 5 new stores in Palm Beach County, FL; 45 stores along with a regional headquarters and distribution center in California; a location in Woodbury, NJ; and a store in Guntersville, AL.
Costco will open a location in Wichita, KS.
The Daily Table opened its first store in Dorchester, MA.
Eataly is looking to open its first Canadian store in Toronto.
Earth Fare Inc. will open its 24,000-sq.-ft store near Emory University on July 8.
Festival Foods will open a 78,000-sq-ft store in Janesville, WI.
Fresh Thyme Farmers Market opened a store in Dayton, OH, and East Lansing, MI; and will open a store in Town and Country, MO.
The Fresh Market Inc. reopened its store located at 835 S White Station Road, Memphis, TN.
Fry’s Food Stores will open a store and gas station in Phoenix, AZ.
Grocery Outlet will open two locations in Idaho.
Harris Teeter opened a 53,000 sq.-ft. store in Winston-Salem, NC. This will replace the company’s previous store at 3508 Yadkinville Road.
H-E-B will open one store in Odessa, TX, in July and plans to open another in Midland, TX, next spring.
Kroger Co. plans to invest $46 million over the next five years to open new facilities in Blue Ash, OH. The company also opened a location in downtown Nashville, TN.
German retailer Lidl announced it that it has established a US headquarters in Arlington, VA, and a distribution facility and a regional office in Spotsylvania County, VA, and is planning its expansion into the US Market.
Market 32 by Price Chopper will open stores in Fort Edward, NY, and Oxford, MA.
Martin’s Food Markets announced it will close its store located at 7129 Staples Mill Road, Richmond, VA, on Friday, July 10.
Natural Grocers will open two stores in Denver, CO.
A Raley’s store at 4551 Mack Road in Sacramento, CA, will close on September 12.
Safeway closed nine grocery stores in the Denver, CO, metro area. The locations closed were: 560 Castle Pines Parkway (Castle Rock); 3904 E. 120th Ave (Thornton); 12900 Zuni (Westminster); 16921 E. Quincy Ave (Aurora); 22675 E. Aurora Parkway (Aurora); 1955 S. Sheridan Blvd (Denver); 7500 S. Pierce Street (Littleton); 1730 S. Buckley Road (Aurora); 8200 S. Quebec (Centennial).
Save-A-Lot is planning to open a location in a former Sweetbay store in Zephyr Hills, FL, following a $415,000 renovation.
Smart & Final will take over the Save Mart in Fresno, CA.
SpartanNash will make six value-oriented Omaha-area grocery stores upscale supermarkets through a $15 million renovation slated for completion this summer.
Sprouts Farmers Market will open a location in Clovis, CA, and Houston, TX.
Tops Friendly Markets opened two locations in Wayne County, NY.
Walmart plans to open Neighborhood Markets in Danville, VA; Goose Creek, SC; Caycee, SC; and 6 in San Antonio, TX; and a new Supercenter in San Antonio, TX, on August 26. The company also opened a new Neighborhood Market in East Tampa.
Wegmans Food Market will open a store in North Wales, PA, and a 126,000 sq.-ft. store in Alexandria, VA.
Whole Foods Market’s opened a store in Chicago, IL.
