Consumer spending in August turned in its weakest performance since the last “flat” month — February. Some observers attribute the poor performance to the drying-up of the government stimulas well. The last of those checks went out mid-July. The New York Times (Sept. 29, 2008)
The showdown between Wal-Mart and Tesco starts October 4th in Phoenix, Arizona, where the first four Wal-Mart Marketside stores will open. Wal-Mart’s 15,000-square-foot, small-format grocery stores are seen as a direct competitor to the 78 Fresh & Easy stores Tesco has opened in western states this year. Reuters (Sept. 23, 2008)
The stores will be closed for between one and eighteen months for remodeling. A complete list of store addresses – most in the central part of the state — appears in the source link. CoStar’s Retail News Roundup (Sept. 14 - 20, 2008)
Discount supermarket operator ALDI will open another fifteen stores in Florida by mid-November, as part of the chains more than 100 new store openings nationwide this year. The addresses of the ten Fla. stores opening tomorrow appear in the source link. Aldi Press Release at PR Newswire (Sept. 22, 2008)
The first “Giant to Go” — the regional grocer’s entry into the convenience format — is planned for a retail development in Manheim Township, PA. “The 4,422-square-foot store will sell produce, meat, deli and bakery items, as well as host eight fuel pumps outside.” Convenience Store News (Sept. 18, 2008)
Safeway will begin making two of its own-label brands — “O Organics” and “Eating Right” –- available in other retail chains, and believes that the brands have the potential of generating $1 billion in sales in the next few years. Brandweek Cited on MorningNewsBeat.com Brandweek (Sept. 12, 2008)
A new study by BigResearch reveals that increasing numbers of consumers are eschewing shopping as a leisure activity and rather combining shopping trips with their daily commutes to work. “Drastic changes in shopping behavior call for drastic changes in marketing methods,” according to one observer. Progressive Grocer (Sept. 10, 2008)
Stores in Gulfport, Miss., and Lafayette, La. have re-opened and a spokesman for the company said that other affected stores are scheduled to re-open over the weekend. Publishers Weekly (Sept. 5, 2008)
The Framingham, Massachusetts-based office supply retailer was hurt by slowing sales in the U.S. AP via The New York Times (Sept. 3, 2008)
The bookseller was up against a tough comparisons with last July’s release of the final installment in the “Harry Potter” series. Despite the drop, B&N beat analysts’ expectations. The Wall Street Journal (Aug. 21, 2008) Paid subscription may be required.