EQUITY RETAIL BLOG

Target to close 12 big box stores and expand small-format portfolio

Target announced last month that it plans to close 12 stores on February 3, 2018. The company said that the closings are due to “several years of decreasing profitability.” According to reports, none of the stores slated for closure are in the Greater Philadelphia or Northeast market. Despite the closings, Target is significantly expanding its […]

Most Popular Shopping Chain in Each State

Just thought this brief article was interesting… Foursquare put together a list of the most popular department stores, clothing stores, and big box store chains in each state across the US, based on its own visit data. Foursquare looked at the average number of visits per store in each state to determine its ranking. That […]

Whole Foods to open soon in Exton

West Whiteland Township Manager Mimi Gleason said Whole Foods is on schedule to open at PREIT’s Exton Square Mall in January. Although Whole Foods has not confirmed an opening date, company representatives appeared at a late October Board of Supervisors meeting and received approval for the transfer of a liquor license. In addition, Whole Foods […]

Supermarkets in malls proving to be a win-win

Here in Greater Philadelphia, we are getting used to having supermarkets at the mall (Wegmans in Montgomeryville, Whole Foods in Plymouth Meeting, Sprouts coming to Moorestown…), but it’s still a new concept in many parts of the county. Industry analysts believe we will see several more supermarkets lease space in malls in the coming years. […]

Bon-Ton Closing 40 Stores in 2018

Troubled department store chain operator The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. will close at least 40 underperforming locations as the retailer attempts to turnaround its dismal financial performance. Bon-Ton disclosed that it would slash its footprint by dozens of stores in its third quarter financial results released early Thursday. The firm — which splits its headquarters between […]

Amazon/Whole Foods working on new formats; AmazonFresh cuts service

Amazon revealed during its third quarter earnings conference call that it is working with Whole Foods executives on new grocery store formats. “There will be a lot of work together between Prime Now, AmazonFresh, Whole Foods, Whole Foods products on the Amazon site, (and) Amazon Lockers at the Whole Foods stores,” according to Amazon CFO […]

Whole Foods CEO finds Amazon culture "challenging"

A Forbes story last month reported that Whole Foods CEO John Mackey is struggling with the Amazon culture, describing it as “challenging” in a recent speech. Mackey announced that he has scheduled a retreat to help him and other top Whole Foods executives better align with Amazon’s “higher purpose.” In a short period of time, […]

Whole Foods data breach hits Greater Philly area stores

It was reported about a month ago that Whole Foods had experienced a data breach where some customer credit and debit card info was hacked (Whole Foods announces credit and debit card hack). Shortly thereafter it was revealed that some stores in the Greater Philadelphia area were included in the breach. The cyber attack, which […]

Lidl opening first New Jersey store next week

Lidl’s first New Jersey store is slated to open in Vineland next Thursday, November 16. The German retailer has stores in 28 countries, and currently has 41 stores in five U.S. states. Several stores are slated for Pennsylvania, but none are expected to open this year.

Moody's downgrades The Fresh Market

A Supermarket News story last month reported that The Fresh Market’s effort to increase store traffic through investments in price have not been successful, and same-store sales are expected to decline for the rest of the year. Supermarket News cited Moody’s Investor Service as the information source. Moody’s recently categorized The Fresh Market’s corporate family […]