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Weis Markets unveils store upgrade plan for 2018

Regional grocer also to test online grocery delivery service

Russell Redman

May 1, 2018

2 Min Read
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Weis Markets Inc. plans new stores and a spate of remodels as part of $101 million in capital expenditures budgeted for fiscal 2018.

Also this year, the Mid-Atlantic supermarket chain plans to pilot online grocery delivery, which would build on its current click-and-collect service.

Chairman and CEO Jonathan Weis unveiled the plan, which also includes supply chain enhancements and IT upgrades, during the company’s annual shareholder meeting at its Sunbury, Pa., headquarters.

“This is a disciplined program that is designed to produce long-term benefits. It includes two new stores — a unit in Nottingham, Md., near Baltimore, which opened two weeks ago, and a store in Randolph, N.J., which will open later this summer,” Weis told shareholders. “We also plan 20 remodels, a fuel center and four new pharmacies.”

The Weis 2 Go service, which offers curbside pickup of groceries ordered online, has continued to grow, he noted. The grocery chain recently rolled out the service to 25 more stores, and it’s currently available at 79 locations.

“In 2018, we will also test an online ordering delivery service,” Weis said. “While we are a brick-and-mortar operator, we know there is a market for these services. We are in the business of constantly offering our customers more choices and options.”

Related:Weis upgrades rewards program

Last year, Weis Markets saw sales rise 10.5% year over year to $3.5 billion, while net income and earnings per share grew by double digits. Weis said the company’s fiscal 2017 cash flow benefited significantly from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and the retailer plans to reinvest tax savings into expansion and development initiatives. The company reported a $49.3 million decrease in deferred income tax for 2017 due to federal tax reform.

“We will use these savings to strengthen our company’s long-term prospects,” he said. “This reduction has helped us make major — and continuing — investments in associate training and career development. It has allowed us to increase our cap-ex spending to more than $100 million while simultaneously paying down our banking line of credit. It also provides additional resources for potential acquisition opportunities.”

In 2017, Weis Markets integrated 44 acquired stores, including 38 locations in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware purchased from Food Lion. Weis currently operates 206 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware New York, Virginia and West Virginia.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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