News Briefs

International retail conglomerate Ahold Delhaize has reached an agreement to divest 87 stores in Romania with local Romanian supermarket company Annabella, which has operated in the market for more than 30 years. The divestment is in accordance with Ahold Delhaize’s post-closing obligations from the Romanian Competition Council (RCC), as revealed this past January 2025 following the acquisition of Profi.

Of the 87 stores to be divested, 82 are currently run by Profi, with the remaining five operated by Mega Image, Ahold Delhaize’s other supermarket brand in the Romanian market. 

Subject to customary closing conditions, including merger clearance by the RCC, the transaction is expected to wrap up by the end of this year. 

Mihai Spulber, formerly SVP operations and supply chain at Mega Image, assumed the role of Profi’s brand president on July 1, succeeding Gaeton Pacton. 

Ahold Delhaize’s family of local brands serves more than 72 million customers each week, both in stores and online. Together, these brands employ approximately 390,000 associates in more than 7,000 grocery and specialty stores. The Ahold Delhaize USA division is No. 11 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2025 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company one of its Retailers of the Century and among the 10 Most Sustainable Grocers of 2025. 

Walmart is giving its approximate 1.6 million U.S. employees a new perk.

The country's largest private employer is extending its 10% employee discount to include purchases of nearly all grocery items — in its stores and online. The discount is available effective immediately.

The move extends the 10% discount Walmart already gives to employees (after 90 days on the job) on purchases of fresh produce and most general merchandise, including fashion, but only to other food during the November and December holiday season.

“We’ve heard your feedback that these savings make a real difference for you and your families,” Walmart chief people officer Donna Morris wrote in a memo to employees that the company sent to Chain Store Age. “And we have continued to hear that you would like to see this benefit expanded. In fact, it’s one of our most requested benefits. The expanded discount on food you receive during the holidays will now be available all year round."

The expanded discount now includes all food categories, including dairy, frozen, dry grocery, meat and seafood. With the expansion, the associate discount now covers 95% of regularly priced items across the store, noted Morris.

Walmart also revealed the news about the expanded discount on LinkedIn. 

This article was originally published on sister brand Chain Store Age. 

The New York Association of Grocery Stores (NYAGS), a coalition representing New York City's grocery landscape, opposes mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's proposal to open government-owned and operated grocery stores across the city. According to the organization, this initiative threatens the livelihoods of mom-and-pop grocery stores and jeopardizes the food distribution network that New Yorkers rely upon daily.

"The proposal to establish government-run grocery stores undermines the very fabric of our community's food access," said David Schwartz, Esq., director of NYAGS. "New York City's grocery stores have long operated on razor-thin margins, contending with some of the highest operational costs in the country, including exorbitant taxes, rent, and congestion pricing. Despite these challenges, local grocers have consistently risen to the occasion, keeping their doors open during crises like COVID-19 to ensure New Yorkers never went without food."

[RELATED: NYC Council Votes to Raise Wages for Grocery Delivery Drivers]

NYAGS believes that government intervention in the grocery sector could lead to inefficiencies and disruptions in food supply, as it points out that government entities often lack the expertise and agility to manage retail operations effectively. 

"The unique challenges of running grocery stores in New York City require experienced hands and local knowledge, which our member stores provide," Schwartz added. 

NYAGS is calling on city leaders to recognize and support the role of local grocers. Rather than undermining these establishments, NYAGS urges policymakers to work collaboratively with the private sector to address the systemic issues facing the grocery industry, paving the way for a sustainable and thriving retail environment.

NYAGS is a coalition of local New York City grocers, convenience stores and bodegas dedicated to preserving and promoting the interests of small grocery businesses. Through advocacy and unity, NYAGS seeks to protect the livelihoods of its members and ensure the continued availability of diverse and accessible food options throughout New York City.

Identiv, Inc., a global leader in RFID- and BLE-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, and IFCO, a leading provider of reusable packaging solutions for grocery products, announce a strategic partnership to enhance traceability, efficiency and sustainability across the fresh grocery supply chain. The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop and launch a BLE-enabled smart label that will enable real-time monitoring of IFCO's global pool of reusable packaging containers (RPCs).

IFCO has over 400 million units of reusable packaging containers in circulation globally that facilitate the sustainable transportation of fresh produce. Through this strategic collaboration, advanced BLE smart labels will be integrated into IFCO's existing RPC network. This initiative aims to provide real-time traceability and temperature monitoring for IFCO and its customers transporting fresh food perishables worldwide, ultimately enhancing supply chain visibility, enabling efficiencies and reducing food waste.

[RELATED: Superior Grocers Partners With IFCO on Reusable Packaging Containers]

Dr. Sebastian Grams, chief digital officer of IFCO, commented, "We are pleased to partner with Identiv on this pioneering BLE-enabled packaging solution, which will provide unprecedented visibility into our supply chain. These smart labels will be instrumental for optimizing the logistics of our RPC pool, further enhancing our SmartCycle and allowing retailers and growers to improve their supply chains, reducing food waste and ensuring the highest quality of fresh food for consumers worldwide."

IFCO plans to begin pilot testing its combined solution in 2025, with full-scale deployment anticipated in 2026. 

Congress has introduced the Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act of 2025, a bipartisan bill that aims to increase domestic seafood production in the United States, which currently imports most of its seafood.

Sponsored by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Roger Wicker (R-MS), this bill supports the responsible research of open ocean aquaculture in the United States while prioritizing strong environmental standards and community resilience. 

As seafood demand grows domestically, exploring sustainable seafood production through open ocean aquaculture holds the potential to reduce reliance on imports, bolster U.S. food security, and lower carbon emissions associated with international seafood transport — while creating jobs and economic opportunities in coastal communities. 

MARA Act includes key provisions, such as establishing a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Aquaculture Assessment Program to advance commercial-scale demonstration projects, evaluate environmental impacts, and develop best practices. It commissions studies to assess the environmental, regulatory, and social viability of open ocean aquaculture while incorporating lessons from U.S. and international experiences. 

In a continued push to reduce single-use bag waste, the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag — an industry collaboration managed by Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy — has launched the largest retail campaign of its kind in California, inviting customers to “Break Up With Single-Use Bags.” Supporting the initiative are Target, CVS Health and The Kroger Co., through its local banners Ralphs and Food 4 Less.

Now rolling out in nearly 1,000 stores across Southern California, the campaign significantly expands the Consortium’s reach and marks a milestone for bag reduction and reuse, engaging and inviting more than 10 million customers to reduce single-use bag waste and build a more circular future for their communities and the retail industry.

[RELATED: 10 Most Sustainable Grocers of 2025]

The campaign launches at a pivotal time, as major retailers recognize the need to support customer behavior change to meet waste reduction goals. California was the selected market for the campaign in anticipation of a significant policy shift: Beginning in January 2026, the state will ban all single-use and thicker plastic bags, offering paper as the only single-use bag option. This transition presents a key opportunity for impact, based on evidence that well-designed policies, paired with effective consumer engagement, can drive meaningful reductions in single-use bag waste.

The Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag is a multi-year industry collaboration across retail sectors that identifies, tests and implements viable design solutions and models that more sustainably serve the purpose of the current retail bag. The Consortium’s Beyond the Bag Initiative drives forward a circular future for retail by reducing single-use bag waste through education, incentives, nudges and policy. Target, CVS Health and Kroger are Strategic Leads of the Consortium, with Dollar Tree, Meijer and Walmart as Supporting Partners.