EQUITY RETAIL BLOG

Albertsons in talks to acquire Sprouts

It was reported last week that Albertsons is considering a deal to acquire Sprouts Farmers Markets, and an industry source told me that he thought the likelihood of such a deal was 50-50. Sprouts, based in Phoenix, is the largest farmers’ market-style food retailer in the country. It operates more than 250 stores in 15 […]

Food deflation and competition hurting supermarket profit margins

A story this morning in USA Today reported that “low food prices and razor-sharp competition” are putting a serious dent into grocery chain profit margins. However, the issue is good news for consumers, who last year saw the first annual decline in supermarket prices since 1967. According to Supermarket Analyst Phil Lempert, the low food […]

hhgregg Closure List

Fortune.com Article Retailer Hhgregg Is Closing a Lot of Stores and Cutting a Lot of Jobs As brick-and-mortar retailers struggle with online competitors, home appliances seller hhgregg is shrinking fast in a bid to turn around. The company announced Thursday it would close 40% of its stores and three distribution centers by mid-April. About 1,500 jobs are expected to […]

Aldi to spend billions on new stores and remodels

Aldi announced earlier this year that it plans to remodel more than 1,300 stores by 2020 at a cost of $1.6 billion. The remodeled stores will focus on fresh items, including produce, dairy and bakery sections, and feature open ceilings, natural lighting and environmentally-friendly building materials. Currently Aldi owns and operates about 1,600 stores in […]

Target investing in pricing, e-commerce, small format stores

Target announced that it plans to shift away from promotional pricing and back to every day low pricing as part of a $1 billion investment this year. The change in pricing is part of the company’s overall strategy to enhance the in-store experience and leverage its stores as fulfillment centers for online orders. CEO Brian […]

BJ's may be looking to sell or go public

A report in the Wall Street Journal last month stated that the private equity firms that own BJ’s Wholesale Club could either be trying to sell the company or planning for an IPO. Leonard Green and Partners and CVC Capital Partners acquired BJ’s in 2011 for about $2.8 billion. At the time, it was reported […]

Whole Foods closing 9 stores by end of April

Last month Whole Foods announced that it would close nine stores by the end of April, and is scrapping its plans to expand from 440 to 1,200 stores. In addition to the closings, the company plans to open six new stores in the next couple months. Same store sales for Whole Foods have declined  in […]

Lidl to begin opening stores this summer

Lidl announced last month that it would open the first 20 of its U.S. stores this summer rather than waiting for 2018. It had been previously thought that the company would open about 100 stores in the first quarter of next year. Lidl has been aggressively purchasing property in Eastern states from New Jersey to […]

Soda Tax putting a dent in Philly grocery sales

According to recent published reports, Philadelphia’s new soda tax is putting a significant dent in overall grocery sales and forcing retailers to reduce labor as consumers are shifting their shopping to locations outside the city. The tax is levied on distributors at the rate of 1.5 cents per ounce and covers any beverage containing sugar […]

Ahold's small format Bfresh stores coming to Philly

It was reported last week that leases were signed for Ahold Delhaize’s small-format Bfresh store at 2300 Bainbridge Street and 3401 Chestnut Street, both in Philadelphia.  The Bainbridge store will be on the ground floor of a new condominium complex, and the Chestnut Street location is where Eastern Mountain Sports recently closed. A store planned […]