Supermarket, Grocery, & C-Store
• C&S Wholesale Grocers has announced a new partnership with Instacart, offering same-day delivery.
• ConocoPhillips Inc. is offering a discount to customers who use the company apps for gasoline purchases. The offer is good through September 30. The company removed the 4-digit passcode previously required for mobile pay transactions as a safer way to pay at the pump.
• United Natural Foods Inc. plans to spin off its Cub Foods and Shoppers supermarkets as a stand-alone unit, following a decision to hold off on the pending sale of the stores amid the coronavirus crisis.
• United Supermarkets, LLC plans to make its street-side pickup program more efficient with the help of location-based technology from Radius Networks. The grocery chain has seen curbside click-and-collect orders more than triple during the COVID-19 crisis.
Retail
• Amazon.com Inc. will redevelop a 96,000 sq. ft. facility in Boston, MA, into a last-mile delivery hub before the end of 2020.
• Amazon.com Inc. will test all fulfillment facility workers for COVID-19 every two weeks. The company is also said to be evaluating alternative methods of COVID-19 testing, such as measuring workers’ blood oxygen levels.
• Best Buy Co. Inc. said that starting June 15 more than 800 Best Buy locations across the country will begin allowing a limited number of people inside without an appointment. To enforce social distancing, Best Buy will limit the number of customers inside the store to 25% of capacity, which allows approximately 60 or more customers in a store depending on its size.
• Big Lots Stores Inc. has launched same-day delivery for the first time ever with Instacart.
• Canada Goose Inc. said it would limit shipments to department stores and focus on its own outlets and website to shore up profit margins as it looks to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Gap Inc. has tripled its number of warehouse robots to keep up with the surge in online demand.
• G.H. Bass & Co. said it will close 89 store locations, with plans to focus more on its wholesale business.
• IKEA North America said it had begun recalling furloughed US workers last month to fulfill e-commerce orders and it plans to start reopening some stores this month.
• JCPenney Company Inc. has identified the first wave of its store closures. The store closing sales will begin at 154 locations, and closures are expected to take 10 to 16 weeks to complete.
• Macy’s Inc. had reopened approximately 450 locations as of June 1, and says stores are performing better than anticipated. The retailer has raised $4.5 billion in new financing to help it thru the pandemic.
• Rite Aid Corporation has opened 21 additional drive-thru COVID-19 sites via its partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services, bring its total number of testing sites to 92.
• Signet Jewelers Limited said that at least 150 stores in North America will not reopen. It also plans to permanently close at least another 150 locations by the end of the year.
• Wilsons Leather Outlets announced it will close all its 110 stores but will continue to do business online.
Restaurant
• Brinker International Inc. has reopened over 80% of Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy dining rooms.
• Captain D’s LLC has opened a new location in Clinton Township, MI. The location will only be open for drive-thru, curbside pick-up, and delivery. The new restaurant will also feature Plexiglas barriers, single use dining items, and new sanitation procedures.
• CEC Entertainment Inc. is seeking a $200 million loan to avoid bankruptcy as its restaurants have been closed due to the pandemic.
• Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc. wants to hire 25,000 new employees for the summer and the brand is partnering with Southern New Hampshire University to offer low-cost degrees to employees. The brand needs new employees to staff dining rooms that are reopening.
• McDonald’s Corporation is considering keeping limited menus in certain markets as dining rooms begin to reopen. The company is also refocusing on sustainability efforts as the use of plastics has increased with efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.
• Pieology Pizzeria has launched a simplified menu and redesigned its ordering system to better adapt to the changes caused by COVID-19
• Punch Bowl Social has permanently closed a location in Stapleton, CO. and another in Schaumburg, IL. The closures come after the company had to temporarily close all locations and Cracker Barrel pulled out of the company. Punch Bowl Social hopes to begin reopening dining rooms soon.
• Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. hopes to have 80% of its dine-in locations open within the next 45 days. The company is also planning to keep its limited menu when dining rooms reopen.
• Starbucks Corporation will be closing 400 company owned stores over the next 18 months. The company will be accelerating the expansion of its to-go store formats to better serve customers after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Taco John’s International Inc. debuted two new family meal packs designed to provide better value to families during the pandemic.
• The Wendy’s Company is reporting that it has fixed supply chain issues that caused a beef shortage last month. Beef supply levels have almost returned to normal and despite the shortage Wendy’s saw improved same-store sales during the month of May.
• YUM! Brands Inc. has reported a surge in sales from its Pizza Hut division. The company claims that both Pizza Hut and KFC have recovered well from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the same is not true for Taco Bell. Taco Bell has reported failing sales during breakfast and late night hours leading to some location to stop serving breakfast for the time being.
• Zaxby’s debuted a new menu item called Zax Pack for Two. The bundle is designed for two guests and is being offered as an alternative to the larger family pack.
