Taking stock of expansion misfires, legal aftershocks, regulatory pressure, and uneven earnings...

It was slightly more than a month after former Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen was forced out of the top job last March for ethical reasons that I began to hear the name Greg Foran bandied about the trade. But even the mention of a talented executive like Foran seemed a…

Amazon Books, Amazon Style, Amazon Pop-Up shops, Amazon 4-Star and now Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go – all physical retail stores and all failures (and either extinct or soon-to-be defunct). The one exception is Whole Foods Market, which is healthy but in my opinion not run as crisply as when…

Dynamic Pricing. A term I first heard about 15 years ago when I wanted to buy baseball tickets to an Orioles-Red Sox game at Camden Yards. Scanning ticket pricing  for several other games I noticed that prices significantly varied for the same seats when other lesser teams played in Baltimore.…

“On May 2, 2025, the company (Village) filed a Verified Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief (the “Complaint”) in a matter captioned Village Super Market, Inc., et al. v. Wakefern Food Corp., et al. in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Middlesex County (the “Chancery Court”). The company…

In July 2023, shortly after Kroger opened it is newest Ocado customer fulfillment center (CFC) in Frederick, MD,  I stopped by to pay a visit. I didn’t enter the 350,000 square foot automated full-service distribution center but instead sat in my car and watched the truck traffic exiting the large…

As Amazon attempts to create more seamless efficiencies between its highly profitable organics/natural Whole Foods Market (WFM) brand and its failing traditional Amazon Fresh (AF) unit, it has chosen Plymouth Meeting, PA as a test site to combine the assets of each retailer under one roof. Earlier this month, the…

The next chapter in the transformation of Southeastern Grocers (SEG) has been unveiled. Late last month, the Jacksonville, FL-based grocer, which is now owned by a consortium of private investors (including chairman and CEO Anthony Hucker), announced that it will be changing its name to The Winn-Dixie Co., the iconic…

Over the past six months, Walmart’s metrics have been as strong as ever; perhaps even more powerful than 30 years ago when the Bentonville, AR-based merchant zoomed to the top of the food retail charts, but also during a time when the retail landscape was less competitive and economic factors…

Lina Khan was right. While the former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chairperson couldn’t have been more wrong when she attempted to block the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons (by using flawed competitive market share data), her suit against Amazon over “Godzilla’s” questionable tactics for signing customers for “Prime” memberships…

At The Giant Company’s (TGC) vendor summit, held earlier this month at the company’s corporate headquarters in Carlisle, PA, the importance of partnerships and “winning together” highlighted the five-hour event which attracted nearly 500 suppliers, distributors and food brokers. TGC president John Ruane kicked off the meeting with a video…

Anybody want to make a guess about when the final day for Shoppers Food will come? After nearly 20 years of being treated as the “red-headed stepchild,” first by Supervalu, and (since 2018) by parent firm UNFI, Shoppers has been left to wither as a dying entity in the competitive…

After 52 years of writing about the grocery industry, it’s time for me to call it a day. During that half-century, I’ve written nearly 1,200 columns under the “Taking Stock” banner. Before that, in my nearly five years with The Griffin Report in Boston, I wrote another 50 opinion pieces…

It was never my intent for this space to become a forum for political opinion. In fact, this is about the 1,150th column I’ve written since co-founding Best-Met Publishing Co. 47 years ago, and until recently I have purposely shied away from much political commentary. Things began to change earlier…

Last month’s acquisition of Michigan-based wholesaler/retailer SpartanNash is another example of grocery distributor C&S Wholesale Grocers making bold moves to not only grow its current business but to find new pathways for future growth. After years of building the wholesale industry’s best third-party distribution model, which was developed in the…

What a difference a year can make. Or not. Twelve months ago in our annual Retail Market Study, I predicted “more of the same.” More overstoring, more consumer economic worries and more progress for those retailers who were perceived to be price/value disrupters. Actually, it wasn’t a very difficult prediction…

A year ago, I predicted “more of the same.” More overstoring, more consumer economic worries and more progress for those retailers who were perceived to be price/value disrupters. Actually, it wasn’t a very difficult prediction. Except for the COVID era, these market realities have existed for the past decade, But…

Walmart continues to eat up market share while growing sales at a rapid rate. In its 2025 annual report, issued late last month, the world’s largest retailer said its U.S. grocery sales for fiscal 2025 (year ended January 31, 2025) reached a record $276 billion. That’s a gain of 4…

As a protest marker, I’m guessing Omer Gajial, Albertsons’ executive VP-chief merchandising and digital officer, is taking a noble stand. He recently sent a broadcast email to the company’s vendors essentially stating that the Boise, ID-based chain will not accept price increases driven by tariffs. Of course, there are exceptions…

Have you looked at your financial portfolio lately? Are you still bullish about the current state of our economy? Politics aside, in an informal poll of 14 retailers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, none seemed very optimistic about the near-term future of their businesses, and some said they are already…

The litigation party continues among the companies involved in the failed Kroger-Albertsons merger, plus more news from the market

  No, it’s not a Russian conspiracy theory - although that might be more credible than to believe that the two protagonists in the biggest failed merger deal in the history of the grocery business have left or will leave their CEO posts in the less than 90 days. And,…

Three months ago, after Kroger’s attempt to acquire Albertsons failed, you might have guessed that the company’s bad judgment or bad luck would have cost CEO Rodney McMullen his job. After all, with nearly a billion dollars wasted and the morale of its associates impacted by the long, slow grind…

At first blush, it might seem like the motivation behind the recently announced acquisition by Southeastern Grocers (SEG) of approximately 170 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets (and more than 150 liquor stores) was created for the survival of its chief executive Anthony Hucker as well as its primary supplier partner for…

Sure, the economic crisis with Mexico and Canada was averted - at least for 30 days - but the threat of hefty tariffs on our neighboring counties remains. And what’s the trade off? If you believe that improving security at our borders will make enough of a difference to largely…

Under sworn testimony during a federal trial in Portland, OR in September, Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran said he would have to consider job cuts, closures and abandoning some markets if his company’s merger with Kroger failed. You know where this story is headed, with “round 1” (layoffs) recently announced by…

A new year brings yet another corporate restructuring at UNFI. Earlier this month, the Providence-based distributor and retailer announced several steps it is taking to advance the company’s multi-year strategy focused on creating more customized value for its customers and suppliers and driving profitable growth. In support of that strategy,…

The aftermath of the legal decisions on the Kroger-Albertsons deal isn't pretty.

Despite robust reports of online sales during the five-day Thanksgiving holiday period (beginning on Thanksgiving Day on 11/28 and ending on “Cyber Monday” on 12/2), an informal poll of most of the 10 chain and independent supermarket merchants in the Mid-Atlantic revealed that their brick-and-mortar sales were generally flat. “Sales…

Having just completed his first full fiscal year as president of Wakefern, it’s time to issue the initial report card for Mike Stigers. Measurably, the largest wholesale grocery cooperative in the country had a very strong year with its member-owned supermarkets and corporately controlled stores achieving record sales - $20.1…

The International Longshoremen’s Union (ILA) agreed to suspend their three-day strike at 36 U.S. East Coast and Gulf ports and go back to work immediately. Not settled is some key language the union is seeking as it continues to bargain with the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) over a new six-year…

Much like it’s been from the beginning nearly two years ago, the federal government (FTC) and Kroger and Albertsons remain polarized as the two sides clash over whether the chains should be allowed to merge. However, this time the venue is in courtroom 14A in the U.S. District Courthouse in…

Last month, I actually praised FTC chairwoman Lina Khan for targeting Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) that partially control drug pricing while also squeezing wholesale margins for all retailers that operate pharmacies. As predicted, the honeymoon didn’t last long. Less than 30 days after unleashing the Kahn wrath against United HealthCare,…

News from the region, including Walmart's recent research into shoppers' shopping habits in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of adaptive retail today and a glimpse into retail's future.

Powerful pharmacy benefit managers g a close look from the FTC.

“Today’s announcement changes nothing. The merger is not a done deal, far from it. We remain focused on stopping the proposed mega-merger for the same reasons we have stated since it was first announced over 20 months ago - because we know it would harm workers, it would harm shoppers,…

In a year "as difficult...as we’ve faced in a long time," as one exec put it, sales flattened while upstarts and disrupters made gains. The year ahead looks equally grim.

Easing inflation, tightening consumer spending, and cuts to SNAP added up to flat sales across the board, with a few bright spots from non-traditional retailers.

Updates in the Kroger-Albertsons merger plan, Walmart unveils upgraded private label brand bettergood, and more.

Plus Amazon News, Ahold Delhaize annual shareholders meeting and more.