Retail Daily

CVS Pharmacy has agreed to acquire and operate 64 Rite Aid stores, British cigarette maker Imperial Brands has announced that CEO Stefan Bomhard will retire, and Kwik Trip with a “K” has the best gas station food in 2025

Target plans to introduce more than 10,000 new products. Walmart admits it will not be able to absorb all of the tariffs costs. And Kwik Trip has been named the best gas station brand in the US.

Kroger challenges the Washington attorney general's request to recoup $32 million in legal costs in its effort to block the Kroger/Albertsons deal. Whole Foods opens its second small-format shop in New York. And Cub Foods workers are poised to go on strike. 

Unionized Albertsons drivers are poised to go on strike over self-driving trucks. U.S. online grocery sales in April eclipse $9.5 billion for the ninth consecutive month. And grocery prices fall for the first time in 2025.

Good to Go convenience buys Big Mike's Gas N Go. Hispanic shoppers pull back on spending. And the Trump Administration puts the brakes on China tariffs again. 

Instacart faces a trademark lawsuit over its new party vertical, Fizz. bp shares tick upwards. And Albertsons enters the office supply delivery game.

Instacart's CEO is headed to OpenAI to head the company's Applications Division. Love's Travel Stops names its first chief marketing officer. And Giant Eagle achieves zero-waste status across its nine warehouse and manufacturing sites.

7-Eleven cuts ATM fees from more than 4,000 U.S. locations. Hy-Vee, Iowa Corn, and Growth Energy join forces to promote ethanol-blended fuel. And Weis Markets announces plans to build three new stores—the first new construction projects since 2022.

Rite Aid files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy … again. Instacart launches a new mobile app focused on party drinks and snacks. And BBQ Brisket Pizza is back by popular demand at Casey's.

Sunoco plans to buy Parkland for just over $9 billion, Associated Grocers has a new president and CEO, and Shell declares a $3.5 billion buyback program. 

Illinois plans to cut its statewide grocery tax, but more than 100 cities approve their own. Sam's Club doubles down on artificial intelligence. And the National Labor Relations Board sides with workers unionizing at Whole Foods.

Schnucks is rolling out more Instacart Caper Carts in its Missouri stores. Alimentation Couche-Tard has signed a nondisclosure agreement with Seven & i Holdings. And Casey's is calling for applications to its 2025 Innovation Summit.

Loblaw Companies Ltd. is making the most of a tariff war between the U.S. and Canada. Upshop has named Mike Sanders CEO. And EG America shares the strategy behind its retail media network launch.

Variety Wholesalers will be reopening 132 Big Lots stores in May. FEMSA's CEO says super-regional c-stores are winning. And CSP's Retail Media Network Forum kicks off in Dallas.

Dollar Tree's chief supply chain officer is retiring. The Kent Cos. has acquired Whit's Grocery. And Trillium Energy Solutions rebrands to Love's Alternative Energy.

Big changes could be coming for 7-Eleven. Walmart shareholders will vote on proposals related to the company's DEI efforts. And Albertsons sends a stern warning to suppliers regarding tariffs.

A Nashville convenience store installs a naloxone vending machine. Aldi plans to open more than 200 stores in 2025. And Walmart announces plans to remodel more than 650 stores in 47 states.

President Trump announces plans to drastically reduce tariffs on China … one day after meeting with Target and Walmart CEOs. EG America launches a retail media network. And Rite Aid considers a second bankruptcy.

Department of Health and Human Services takes aim at artificial food dyes. President Donald Trump meets with the CEOs of Walmart and Target. And grocers and c-store chains dominate the National Retail Federation's Top 50 Global Retailers list.

SpartanNash gets a new VP of Retail Operations. Walmart announces a discount deal at its fuel stations. And Tops Friendly Markets goes into expansion mode.

The threat of tariffs remains–and AI tools can help ease the uncertainty. Parker's Kitchen opens its 100th location. And a Colorado union is suing the Kroger-owned brands King Soopers and City Market.

Sam's Club's 600-location remodel will eliminate cashiers. Boardroom drama heats up at the world's biggest convenience-store chain. And more shopper boycotts are planned for the Easter holiday weekend. 

SNAP continues to be in the crosshairs of state and federal lawmakers. Alimentation Couche-Tard has acquired Dusterhoft Family Stores. And Bob Espey is stepping down as president and CEO of Parkland.

California's attorney general goes after illegal tobacco sales. Albertsons stock dips as the company lowers its earnings estimate for the rest of 2025. And consumers are increasingly worried about the state of the economy.

Convenience-store chains Wawa and Buc-ee's are opening stores in new states. DoorDash is expanding its robot delivery program. And voting has opened to determine the best gas station brand.

Colorado bans liquor sales in grocery and big-box stores. Chevron plans to lay off 8,000 employees. And grocery helps Costco boost its net sales. 

Arkansas tries to push CVS Health out of the state. Grocery prices tick up despite easing inflation. And Sunoco goes high tech with artificial intelligence.

Trump's trade war gets postponed again but not with China. Kroger spends over a billion on its failed merger with Albertsons, and the bills are still pouring in. And New York City targets flavored e-cigarettes in a new lawsuit.

Ahold Delhaize USA names a new chief information officer. C-store chain Onvo updates its loyalty app. And online grocery sales across the U.S. reach $9.7 billion in March.

Trader Joe's and Aldi grow their foothold on one-stop shopping. Coburn's buys a pair of Kessler's Food stores in South Dakota. And discount grocers go head to head as tariff fears escalate.

Another boycott is in the works—this time targeting Walmart. Private label companies take a bigger share of the snacks market. And Kwik Trip launches Roller Grill Hot Dog-Flavored Potato Ripple Chips … on April Fool's Day.

The Hershey Co. plans to buy organic snack brand LesserEvil. Energy drink maker Celsius Holdings acquires Alani Nutrition. And Buc-ee's enters the Arkansas market. 

Kroger and Albertsons each launch new private-label items. New legislation would allow hot food purchases with SNAP benefits. And Sheetz has made Fortune magazine's Best Companies to Work For list for the 10th straight year.

Trader Joe's avoids retail media networks. The Food and Drug Administration reassigns its Center for Tobacco Products director amid massive layoffs. And Supermarket News is launching a new event.

Tony's Fresh Market workers reject union membership. Stinker Stores is putting 13 locations in Colorado up for sale. And U.S. shoppers are more fearful about inflation than they have been in almost three years.

A group of Save A Lot stores in Chicago face another delay, Walgreens settles claims that it overbilled Medicaid programs, and the Senate confirms the next leader of the Food & Drug Administration.

Winn-Dixie is planning to close four stores, Instacart has launched new AI-powered intelligence tech, and Chomps announces a recall.

Dollar Tree will sell its Family Dollar store brand, Target employees will have lighter bonuses, and 7-Eleven is teaming up with Arizona beverages.

Kroger punches back in its legal battle with Albertsons. Tony's Fresh Market workers in Chicago vote on establishing a union. And San Diego City Council passes a Grocery Pricing Transparency Ordinance.

Grocers prepare for cuts to SNAP food benefits. DoorDash launches a buy now, pay later program. And convenience retailer Onvo names a new CFO. 

Walmart remains the dominant player among grocery shoppers, but one retailer is entering new territory. Buc-ee's is going after what it considers to be another knockoff. And convenience-store retailers have a cautious view on the outlook for the tobacco category.

Walmart is investing in and revamping its convenience stores and fuel stations. CSP launched its annual Top 40 convenience-store chain ranking. And Southeastern Grocers is considering the potential growth of the Winn-Dixie and Harveys banners that it recently reacquired from Aldi.

Alimentation Couche-Tard's CEO denies reports that the company signed a nondisclosure agreement with Seven & i Holdings. Walmart has developed a generative AI tool for its category merchants. And Kwik Trip's CEO responds after an employee was fatally stabbed at a store.

Loblaw has expanded a pilot study involving workers wearing body cameras. Casey's is requiring all of its office employees to return to work in the office full time. And  despite the news that egg prices are starting to come down, retailers are still struggling to keep them on the shelves.

Egg prices are beginning to come down. Billy Colemire has joined Majors Management. And PepsiCo has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire prebiotic soda brand poppi for $1.95 billion.

Kroger makes another round of layoffs. The feds bust a gas station credit card skimming ring. And Sprouts Farmers Market opens five new stores in Florida.

Dollar General reaches a $40 billion milestone. Canadian consumers get behind the Made In Canada movement. And the plot thickens with Alimentation Couche-Tard's attempted purchase of Seven & i holdings.

Kroger goes all in on ecommerce. Amazon restructures its c-store and grocery businesses. And the price of eggs jumps nearly 60% from a year ago.

A Philadelphia Whole Foods aiming to unionize gets its day in court. Kroger rolls out a pilot program for in-store inventory robots. And 7-Eleven's CEO resigns from the Seven & i Holdings board of directors. 

The Department of Justice launches an investigation into egg prices. The Fresh Market opens its first liquor store. And protesters take aim at Amazon.

United Natural Foods Inc. workers in Atlanta hold a practice picket as they await their first contract. Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. explores divesting U.S. c-stores to secure regulatory approval for the potential acquisition of Seven & i Holdings. And Sycamore Partners is acquiring Walgreens Boots Alliance for $10 billion.