News Briefs

Walmart is halting cigarette sales at some of its stores. The Wall Street Journal reported that Walmart locations in California, Florida, Arkansas and New Mexico are no longer selling cigarettes, with some of those spaces converted to self-checkout areas or for merchandising impulse items like candy.

The decisions to curb sales of cigarettes are done on a store-by-store basis, according to information from Walmart. “We are always looking at ways to meet our customers’ needs while still operating an efficient business. As a result of our ongoing focus on the tobacco category, we have made the business decision to discontinue the sale of tobacco in select stores,” the retailer explained in a statement.

Nearly three years ago, Walmart pulled electronic cigarettes from the shelves at Walmart and Sam’s Club locations. “Given the growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity and uncertainty regarding e-cigarettes, we plan to discontinue the sale of electronic nicotine delivery products at all Walmart and Sam’s Club U.S. locations,” a company spokesman said at the time.

Other retailers are no longer selling cigarettes in their stores. In early 2020, Schnuck Markets, Inc. put an end to selling cigarettes as well as e-cigarettes, vaping products, cigars, chewing tobacco and snuff. Hannaford followed suit, phasing out such products in fall 2020. Target was the first big player to yank tobacco products back in 1996, and CVS banned such items in 2014.

Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart operates approximately 10,500 stores under 48 banners in 24 countries, and e-commerce websites, employing 2.2 million-plus associates worldwide. Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. 

A new WinCo Foods has opened in Eugene, Ore. The latest location at 2815 Chad Drive welcomed its first customers this week with a grand opening celebration that included giveaways, a sweepstakes and specially-decorated baked goods with the company name and logo.  

Open 24 hours a day and staffed by an employee base of about 200 associates, this is the second WinCo in Eugene and is across the street from a Costco club store. The retailer renovated the 64,000-square-foot space, which used to house a Shopko store, over the past year.

The addition was not without controversy, however. Some local residents and business owners concerned about potential higher traffic in the area contested the plans, which proceeded after approval by the city and the state’s Land Use board of appeals.

This is the 136th employee-owned store operated by WinCo. The chain was founded as a no-frills grocery store called Waremart Foods by Ralph Ward and Bud Williams in 1967. In 1985, the company became a majority employee-owned and changed its name to WinCo Foods in 1999. WinCo is No. 44 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.

Food technology provider Innit is expanding its partnership with Google Cloud to help retailers and others deliver personalized nutrition services to consumers.

The health and wellness solution, which is now available to Google Cloud Marketplace users ranging from supermarkets and pharmacies to healthcare providers, aims to support healthy eating by helping consumers discover food products and meals that fit their particular lifestyles, diets and allergies. The technology is tailored to conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and obesity.

"As consumers seek out more ways to better manage their health and wellness, organizations have a unique opportunity to support consumer needs with personalized care experiences," said Paul Tepfenhart, director of global grocery solutions at Google Cloud. "We're thrilled to have Innit's solution now available on Google Cloud Marketplace and help customers across the grocery, pharmaceutical, and healthcare space deliver actionable, personalized experiences to consumers — whether that be in-store, online, or at home."

Innit is already providing grocers with personalized search solutions, and its new algorithms have been developed by a scientific and medical committee that includes experts from the United States and Europe.

According to Innit, “[m]eals and recipes tailored to specific health needs can be matched to user preferences, and shoppers can buy all required ingredients with a single click.”

"Consumers deserve technology that can help them improve their wellness, without trading off convenience or enjoyment," said Kevin Brown, Innit CEO and co-founder.

In an effort to help shoppers deal with rising gas prices, Harris Teeter has introduced a double fuel points promotion for its e-VIC members, running now through April 5. 

By using a digital coupon that can be found in the e-VIC Coupons page, emails or Harris Teeter app, loyalty members can automatically save $0.10 per gallon on fuel purchases at Harris Teeter Fuel Centers and participating BP and Amoco stations. 

“As fuel prices continue to remain above $4 per gallon, we are focused on providing excellent value for our shoppers and associates,” said Danna Robinson, communication manager for Harris Teeter.

During the promotion, shoppers will earn two fuel points for every $1 spent on groceries, 100 fuel points for every $25 spent on eligible retailer gift cards and 100 points for every prescription purchase at Harris Teeter Pharmacy.

Matthews, N.C.-based Harris Teeter is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Kroger Co. Kroger employs nearly half a million associates who serve 9 million-plus customers daily through a seamless digital shopping experience and nearly 2,800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names. The Cincinnati-based company is No. 3 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.

Meal-planning app Foogal is on a mission to help consumers prevent and manage prediabetes, diabetes and autoimmune diseases through its customizable recipes and food-as-medicine approach.

The app, launched by a group of nutritionists, chefs and doctors, allows users to fill out a profile and receive three diet protocols. Wellness Protocol, Autoimmune Protocol and Insulin Resistance were designed based on the latest food and nutrition scientific research and aim to help users reach their health goals.

Users can browse recipes and create meals, and even link their shopping list to a Kroger location for online purchase. Froogal has plans to add more grocery stores in the future.

"We want Foogal to be the powerhouse behind America's healthy eating revolution," said company founder Todd Knobel. "Our goal is to help you improve your family's overall health, prevent prediabetes, and manage type 1 and type 2 diabetes and autoimmune diseases.”

Serving 60 million households annually nationwide through a digital shopping experience, and almost 2,800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names, Cincinnati-based Kroger is No. 3 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.

Meijer will open two new supercenters in northeast Ohio on April 28, in the cities of Brunswick and Canton.

“It’s extremely exciting to continue expanding our presence in northeast Ohio,” said Tom Wilson, Meijer regional VP. “Over the last two years, our store teams have helped families meet unprecedented challenges by providing fresh grocery options and supporting their pharmacy needs. Now we’re gearing up to bring our one-stop shopping experience to new communities in Brunswick and Canton.”

According to Wilson, the locations will offer grocery, fresh produce, bakery, meat, and deli, along with a floral area and garden center. Other departments will include pharmacy, pets, electronics, toys, sports and apparel. Further, Meijer Express gas stations adjacent to both stores will open on March 31.

Since opening its first Ohio store in the Columbus area in 1981, Meijer has invested heavily in the state, most recently building seven supercenters in the greater Cleveland, Akron and Youngstown areas. In December 2021, the retailer broke ground on a new grocery market as part of the Fairfax Market mixed-use project in partnership with the city of Cleveland, Cleveland Clinic, Fairfax Renaissance Development Corp. and Fairmount Properties. Meijer also operates a distribution center and dairy-processing Facility in Tipp City, employing more than 12,000 associates statewide.

Job openings for the new Meijer supercenters include full- and part-time hourly positions across a wide array of skill sets. Interested candidates can apply online.

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer operates 258 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. The company is No. 18 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food retailers in North America.