Retail Daily
From the editors of Supermarket News and CSP Daily News comes Retail Daily, a podcast that serves up a quick daily download of the top industry stories from supermarkets and c-stores. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you like to tune in for the must-know retail news of the day. Read stories featured in the episodes on our websites: https://www.supermarketnews.com/ and https://www.cspdailynews.com/
Food inflation remained high in the first quarter of 2024. The Biden administration announced a final rule that it said expands overtime protections for salaried workers. And Electrify America gives an update on its public indoor electric-vehicle charging station after one month in business.
The biggest grocery chain in metro Houston is no longer Texas-owned. Rutter’s has revealed its new summer seasonal beer. And U.S. grocery sales are projected to slump over the next five years.
A former employee is suing Outfox Hospitality. Milk samples from grocery stores have contained viral fragments of the bird flu. And RaceTrac has appointed Carl Bolch Jr. into the role of chairman emeritus.
Foxtrot and Dom’s Market are closing all locations. QuikTrip opens its new travel center in Rockford, Illinois. And Walgreens has agreed to pay $110 million dollars to Philadelphia to settle claims that the retailer was negligent in its distribution of opioid pain medications.
Sprouts Farmers Market has settled a federal sexual harassment and retaliation charge. The national average retail price of regular-grade gasoline added another dime in the past two weeks. And Costco drivers in Washington are unionizing.
The former chair of the Federal Trade Commission weighs in on the Kroger, Albertsons merger. Drone delivery company Zipline passes the million deliveries mark. And the National Labor Relations Board kills a plan to outsource trucker jobs.
Trader Joe’s recalls another product. Convenience store chain Wawa makes Yelp’s 50 fastest growing brands list. And Grubhub expands into the grocery delivery business.
Walgreens announces another round of layoffs. 7-Eleven completes its acquisition of more than 200 stores. And Hy-Vee moves closer to acquiring the Strack & Van Til Food Market chain
Aldi pilots new checkout-free technology. The U.S. House Oversight & Accountability Committee scrutinizes illegal vape sales. And 7-Eleven takes home multiple awards for its Slurpee Song of the Summer marketing campaign.
A former Trader Joe’s manager accuses Amazon of stealing trade secrets from the specialty grocer. Loblaw launches its own cell phone network. And bp expands its food and drink offerings at its convenience stores.
Alimentation Couche-Tard has suspended its Circle K Sip & Save beverage subscription program. SQRL Holdings has agreed to sell its convenience stores. And Meijer is putting the finishing touches on two supercenters in Alliance and North Canton, Ohio.
Buc-ee’s has set a date to open its newest travel center. A Trader Joe’s is facing a fine from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for violating worker safety regulations. And Wawa is opening its first store in North Carolina on May 16.
Seven & i Holdings will increase its focus on convenience retailing and mergers and acquisitions in North America. Online grocery sales remained flat in March at $8 billion. And the state of Illinois is hoping to take a major step toward wiping out food deserts.
Five grocery companies have formed a venture capital fund to invest in emerging technologies. Murphy USA is kicking off its semi-annual fundraiser Great Futures Fueled Here. And bp is investing in the future of mobility.
Colorado’s laws on who can sell wine are under review. 7-Eleven is kicking off its 60th anniversary of selling to-go coffee. And Procter & Gamble is recalling over 8 million laundry detergent packets.
Gas stations and convenience stores have been preparing for today’s solar eclipse. The Food and Drug Administration is seeking fines against retailers selling nicotine pouches to underage users.
Convenience stores saw record sales in 2023. Trader Joe’s is being accused of more union-busting tactics. And Atlantis Management Group acquired M. Spiegel & Sons Oil Corp.
Kwik Trip gets rid of bagged milk. The California Legislature considers a bill requiring one worker for every two self-checkout registers. And Kum & Go gets ready for National Burrito Day.
Amazon walks away from its cashierless Just Walk Out technology. 7-Eleven invites customers to bring their own cup. And Albertsons tweaks its loyalty program.
Convenience stores get ready for big business during next week’s solar eclipse. Indoor farming company Edible Garden announces big 2023 revenues. And 7-Eleven releases Hot Dog-flavored Water … or did they?
RaceTrac has deployed the Acumera Reliant Platform across its convenience stores. Pharmacy chain Rite Aid received permission to begin voting on a bankruptcy restructuring plan. And the Environmental Protection Agency has set new greenhouse gas standards for delivery trucks.
Food prices are expected to increase 2.5% in 2024. Maverik has revamped Kum & Go’s &Rewards loyalty program. And the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products has launched a searchable tobacco products database.
Inadequate customer service is providing an early exit for Walmart from a deal with Capital One. Trader Joe’s has opened Trade Joe’s Pronto–a convenience-like “grab-pay-and-go” concept store in New York. And Maverik has returned to Montana.
The Food and Drug Administration warned more than 60 retailers for selling illegal vapes. Murphy USA is undergoing a digital transformation. And Trader Joe’s has raised the price of their bananas for the first time in store history.
Convenience-store chain Yesway is significantly expanding its presence in Oklahoma. Visa and Mastercard swipe fees hit a record high of $100.77 billion in 2023. And grocer Coborn’s is getting into the high-tech business with its salad bars.
The Federal Trade Commission accuses large grocery retailers of using pandemic-era supply chain disruptions to increase profits. Albertsons begins accepting celebrity investor Mark Cuban’s pharmacy card. And the Environmental Protection Agency releases new auto standards to reduce emissions.
DoorDash pilots a new drone delivery program in Virginia. Loblaws shoppers organize a boycott of the store over high prices. And electric vehicle charger company EVgo Inc. opens its first prefab charging station.
New York State allows pharmacists to dispense hormonal contraceptives without a prescription. Trader Joe’s announces another recall. And 7-Eleven releases a new lineup of coffee creations.
Kroger plans to sell its specialty pharmacy business. Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores is hiring 2,000 new employees. And Walmart closes stores in California and Maryland.
Aldi prepares to release a new line of branded sneakers. 7-Eleven names a senior vice president of restaurant operations. And Dollar Tree announces plans to begin selling products for as much as $7.
SQRL expects to reopen all 210 former Mountain Express convenience stores within three months. Dollar General plans to remove self-checkout in about 300 stores. And construction is underway for Sheetz’s first Michigan store.
Buc-ee’s will soon unveil its first travel center in Colorado. Dollar General is betting it can capitalize on what it calls a “significant opportunity” to power through 2024. And Kwik Trip and the Milwaukee Brewers are partnering on a ticket deal.
Casey’s General Stores is ramping up its spring and summer store-level hiring for 2024. Dollar Tree said it plans to shutter 1,000 stores. And confectionery sales hit $48 billion in 2023.
Alltown Fresh owner Global Partners updated its logo. There’s a new update on the looming Kroger and Albertsons merger. And higher profitability inside the store buoyed Casey’s General Stores’ performance in its fiscal third-quarter 2024.
Foodservice technology company PAR Technology Corp. has acquired convenience-store and retail fuel software provider Stuzo Holdings. Presidente Supermarkets signed a lease as an anchor tenant in a new mixed-use development in Miami. And QuikTrip has purchased a Bell 429 helicopter.
Maverik’s CEO Chuck Maggelet will retire on May 1. A group is trying to break up Trader Joe’s first union. And Democratic senators are warning convenience-store retailers not to sell illegal vape products.
Pilot Travel Centers plans to add 35 travel centers and remodel more than 75 locations in 2024. Discount grocer Aldi is investing $9 billion over the next five years to open 800 new U.S. locations. And Urban Value Corner Store plans to offer autonomous checkout at its convenience stores in luxury apartment communities.
Convenience-store retailer Casey’s General Stores Inc. has acquired Panther Travel Center. A disappointing second quarter earnings sheet has United Natural Foods revising its fiscal year 2024 forecast. And GPM Investments has plans for three new c-stores.
Rouses Markets’ shoppers can now use DoorDash for their grocery delivery. Smoker Friendly has acquired 54 stores in Indiana. And four new prepared-fresh sandwiches are now available at Casey’s General Stores.
Publix Super Markets’ net earnings of $4.3 billion in 2023 was up nearly 50% over the $2.9 billion reported in 2022. Whole Foods Market is introducing a new, “quick-shop” small-format store designed to provide customers in urban neighborhoods a fast, convenient shopping experience. And Trader Joe’s has another recall on its hands.
Thousands of Kroger union workers authorize a strike in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. The U.S. Attorney’s Office reaches a resolution with Speedway convenience-store over alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. And Dierbergs partners with retail technology and tools provider Swiftly on its retail media network.
Trader Joe’s pulls another product off the shelves for contaminants. Whole Foods launches AI smart carts in San Mateo, California. And the FDA issues warning letters to online retailers selling unauthorized e-cigarette products.
Walgreens begins accepting Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits online. Grocery tech company Upshop launches a solution to last-minute worker shortages utilizing gig workers. And Save A Lot announces store closures in metro Dallas.
Family Dollar agrees to pay $41 million in fines for food safety violations. DoorDash adds 720 new pet product retail locations. And Walgreens Boots Alliance names a new global chief legal officer.
The Federal Trade Commission and 9 state attorneys general sue to block the Kroger-Albertsons merger. Del Taco Restaurants makes a push into convenience stores. And Sprouts Farmers Market gives an update on its decision to close all of its larger stores.
The SEC charges the spouse of a BP executive with insider trading. DoorDash reaches a settlement with the California attorney general for illegally selling customer data. And Walgreens plans to close all of its VillageMD clinics in the state of Florida.
Grocers celebrate National Supermarket Employee Day. Casey’s General Stores releases a special-release batch of select bourbon. And Illinois could eliminate its grocery tax permanently.
Several states and the FTC are set to block the Kroger, Albertsons merger. Murphy USA names Mindy West as its executive vice president and chief operating officer. And the federal government could soon require grocers to collect information on purchases under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
A union that represents thousands of grocery workers in the Pacific Northwest endorses the Kroger-Albertsons merger. Walmart announces plans to buy TV manufacturer Vizio. And convenience store chain QuikTrip opens its first store in metro Oklahoma City.
DoorDash reports a 23% year-over-year increase in total orders. Grocery price inflation slows down in January. And Instacart launches a new partnership with the American Cancer Society.