In this week’s recap of the Top 10 most popular Supermarket News articles, the top story was How the Kroger, Albertsons merger could disrupt employment. Perhaps nowhere is concern about the merger felt more strongly than among the workers of the two companies who fear the deal may cost them their jobs. Although Kroger and Albertsons have both stated that no stores would be closed as a result of the merger, hundreds of locations could be spun off to a new owner.
Among other top stories:
- Walmart starts sensory-friendly store hours
- Plans underway for Costco’s largest store yet in Fresno, California
- Trader Joe’s files lawsuit against employee union
- Kroger, Albertsons merger could be affected by new FTC, DOJ guidelines
In other news, competing against Walmart online will only get tougher for regional grocers, as Walmart continues to ramp up its low pricing engine, according to research from grocery ecommerce software company Mercatus. The new report forecasts a daunting scenario. Walmart, which already enjoys a 15% price advantage online on a large basket of groceries in the U.S., does not have to rely on service fees to support pickup operations and produces eight times more revenue online than regional competitors, the report states. With automation continuing to lower the cost of fulfilling orders, Mercatus forecasts that Walmart retail media revenue will increase at a minimum of 20% in the coming years. The report, however, believes regional stores are well-positioned to deal with the new pricing paradigm shift.
Other top stories:
- Murray’s Cheese debuts new look
- June online grocery sales dip 1.2%
- Rite Aid reports major data breach
- 5 things: Take a look at what executive level grocers made in 2022…
