Retail Intel Weekly: Walmart, Home Depot, Petco & More

SUPERMARKETAhold Delhaize’s Food Lion on Sept. 28 added additional “Food Lion To-Go” grocery pickup points at 31 new stores in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina as its parent company aims to have 1,100 total pickup spots across its U.S. chains by the end of the year. As an added bonus, the first 10 Food Lion To-Go orders placed on Sept. 28 at the new stores received a free branded reusable bag with their order.Ahold Delhaize’s Giant Co. is leveraging its team of nutritionists to help kids create Halloween-themed snacks live via Zoom throughout October this year. The virtual classes will take place every Monday and Wednesday, incorporating the grocer's new brand platform, For Today's Table. While the classes are free to attend, registration is necessary for select classes via Eventbrite. Plus, if shoppers register for the two classes on Oct. 26 and 28 with their mailing address by Oct. 11, Philadelphia-based American Dairy Association Northeast will send goodie boxes to qualifying families.Robert Clark, Kroger's senior vice president of supply chain, manufacturing and enterprise sourcing, is retiring after more than 35 years of service, effective Feb. 1, 2021. Clark will be succeeded by Gabriel Arreaga (pictured on the right), who is joining the grocer as senior vice president of supply chain, starting Oct. 1. In his new role, Arreaga will be responsible for the company's industry-leading supply chain organization, which includes logistics, inventory and replenishment. Most recently, Arreaga served as senior vice president of supply chain for Mondelez International, where he led a team of more than 14,000 employees within a network of 41 internal and external factories, 49 fulfillment centers, direct-to-store branches, logistics and product development.Kroger and English online grocer Ocado named Romulus, MI, as the site for the companies' latest U.S. automated customer fulfillment center. The CFC is expected to become operational 18 months after the site breaks ground and will support customers in several markets, including Michigan, Northern Ohio, and Indiana.Seven years after its last attempt, Southeastern Grocers revealed on Monday, Sept. 28 that it had confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to a potential initial public offering (IPO) of its common stock. While the filing itself doesn’t guarantee that SEG will pursue the publicly held option, the retailer said the move “will help enable [it] to make the decision to become publicly traded, subject to market and other conditions.” Albertsons Cos. is the latest retailer to introduce a wine advent calendar ahead of the holidays this year as the trend continues to grow. Exclusively available at select Albertsons-affiliated stores, the limited-edition package includes 24 187-ml bottles from premier U.S. wine growing regions, according to a new press release from the retailer, which came in the form of a holiday poem and additionally directed to 24daysofwine.com for food pairing ideas and notes on each individual wine included.More Albertsons Cos. chains including Safeway pharmacy locations in Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Delaware now offer at-home COVID-19 test kits, an expansion of the program Albertsons announced earlier this month in partnership with New York City-based genomics firm Phosphorus Diagnostics. Albertsons Cos. is leveraging October’s designation as National Seafood Month to shine a light on its responsible seafood practices, particularly around the traceability and sustainable practices of its waterfront Bistro private label. This month, the retailer is working with nonprofit FishWise to review best practices of its vendor partners to strengthen traceability and decrease environmental impacts.PETPetco has joined forces with more than 1,000 companies in the Time to Vote movement to foster a corporate culture that supports voting. As part of this pledge, Petco will provide both salaried and hourly employees up to three hours paid time off to vote on Nov. 3. The company has additionally designated Nov. 3 as a meeting-free day. Best Buy and Target are also part of the non-partisan initiative.MASSWalmart is once again going head-to-head with Amazon's Prime Day, even in a year when the shopping event has been delayed by months. The mass merchant is planning an online sale event from Oct. 11-15, which includes Amazon's Oct. 13-14 Prime Day dates. According to reports, Walmart's sale will feature Black Friday-like savings on items including electronics, toys, fashion and beauty products. Target is also holding its own online sales event, promising its largest-ever "Deal Days" and framing it as the kickoff to the holiday shopping season.Walmart this year is overhauling 200 of its stores into an airport-inspired theme that aligns with its mobile application, merging online navigation and shopping lists with physical signs and store layouts. The remodeling project will expand to 1,000 stores by the end of 2021.Meijer will host its first virtual Supplier Diversity Summit, giving diverse-owned businesses nationwide the opportunity to showcase their offerings for Meijer merchants. The Nov. 12 virtual event will focus on the beauty and personal care, over-the-counter and wellness, general merchandise and grocery categories. Certified minority-, LGBTQ-, woman-, veteran- and disability-owned businesses with retail-ready products in those categories can apply by Oct. 9 via rangeme.com/meijersupplierdiversity2020. Once applications for the event are submitted, Meijer teams will review and select the vendors they would like to meet at the virtual summit.AMAZONAmazon is introducing its Amazon One biometric technology to select Amazon Go stores, allowing shoppers to pay via their palms.Amazon is extending its Personal Shopper by Prime Wardrobe monthly styling service to men’s fashion, encompassing brands such as Adidas, Lacoste, Scotch & Soda, Carhartt and Levi’s, as well as its exclusive labels like Amazon Essentials and Goodthreads. Exclusive to Prime members, the service originally launched last year in August for women.Amazon has launched an Explore portal for "virtual experiences" like classes and virtual tours or shopping trips.HOME CENTER/HARDWAREThe Home Depot is expanding its Pro Xtra loyalty program to allow its professional members to earn rewards for shopping, and unlock and redeem Perks via Home Depot’s mobile app. According to a media release from the retailer, each time members unlock a Perk, they can choose from different options including "Tool Rental Perks" and "Pro Xtra Dollars." Additionally, shoppers can receive surprise "Bonus Perks" simply for being a member. The expanded Pro Xtra program was created based on direct customer feedback and provides a more personalized in-store and online experience, according to the retailer. The program’s new mobile-first design allows members to track purchases and see savings in real-time by using their Pro Xtra "Virtual ID" within the app at in-store checkout. Members can access their Virtual ID from the account page in the app, then scan their barcode at checkout to track their spending and help them earn toward Perks.The Home Depot named Edward "Ted" Decker as president and chief operating officer, effective Oct. 5. Decker, a 20-year veteran of the company, has served as executive VP of merchandising since 2014. As the company's chief merchant, he has been responsible for all store and online merchandising departments, merchandising strategy, services and vendor management, marketing and in-store environment. In his new role, he will assume additional responsibility for global store operations, global supply chain, and outside sales and service.CONVENIENCE7‑Eleven is offering shoppers a free whole pizza on Oct. 4 via its 7Now delivery or in-store pickup service "to help loyal sports fans cheer on their teams and properly homegate," according to a media release from the retailer. The offer is valid on one free cheese, pepperoni or "extreme meat" pizza via the 7Now mobile application.DRUGEight years after launching its Balance Rewards loyalty program, Walgreens is replacing that program with a new, more personalized version called myWalgreens that is “Coming soon.”

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