Here's the latest in food retail
| The latest in food retail | | RETAIL & FINANCIAL | | | Kroger-Albertsons merger: Many views, many angles
The Kroger-Albertsons merger announcement came hard and fast. So has the reaction from grocery retail industry stakeholders and observers.
Wall Street analysts say the $24.6 billion deal, despite facing high regulatory hurdles, will create a supermarket company with the reach and resources to fend off big retail grocery competitors like Walmart and Amazon. However, for smaller supermarket chains and independent grocers, the merger would spawn an even bigger competitor that could siphon more market share and have even more sway with suppliers. |
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| RETAIL & FINANCIAL | | | Take a look inside Bristol Farms’ new food hall concept.
Seven restaurants take food service to a new level at the upscale Southern California grocery in the Irvine Spectrum Center, a popular entertainment and shopping destination in Irvine, California.
Bristol Farms has opened a new store with “an elevated experience with an open, warm and modern environment” and a decided foodservice twist. This 34,000-square-foot market, which opened in March and retained its signature supermarket loaded with clean lines and top-quality products, is anchored by a food hall home to seven – count ’em, seven — chef-created restaurant brands. |
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| RETAIL & FINANCIAL | | | Rite Aid lands major technology pact with Google Cloud
Drugstore, health care company says partnership aligns with ‘vision of modern pharmacy’
Plans call for Google Cloud technologies to arm Philadelphia-based Rite Aid with sharper insights, more agility and enhances customer experiences. Modernized applications for personalized digital experiences, too, will position Rite Aid’s over 6,400 pharmacists to spend more time interacting directly with patients. More specifically, Rite Aid said, the Google Cloud partnership will help the company “realize its vision of a modern pharmacy.”. |
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| CONSUMER TRENDS | | | September CPI brings little respite in food inflation
With food prices still high, grocery retailers like Aldi and others are trying to provide shoppers some relief through price cuts and other savings.
Grocery prices see some letup but remain elevated for consumers. The avoidance of steep hikes in the September Consumer Price Index (CPI) didn’t translate into much relief for grocery shoppers. “Inflation has caused the price of all consumer goods to increase, and the food sector has been particularly hard hit,” Andy Harig, vice president of tax, trade, sustainability and policy development at FMI-The Food Industry Association. |
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