Supermarket & Grocery Industry News

With everybody trying to get ethnic at retail, supermarkets have to fight harder than ever to stake their claim.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Publix is keeping its shoppers satisfied in terms of quality, service, and price, while Wal-Mart supercenters may have some work to do when it comes to those first two measures, according to the University of Michigan's latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), released today.

Associated Food Stores has evolved its buying from pencil-and-paper hunches to a system of profit-building, computerized analysis -- one warehouse at a time.

CHICAGO -- The supermarket industry continues to fall behind others in management diversity, according to a white paper issued by Network of Executive Women here.

NEW YORK -- Smart Supplier to Wal-Mart, a new VNU Business Media Web site dedicated to covering the marketing, merchandising, logistics, technology, and supply chain strategies of the world's largest retailer, has launched. The subscription-based site, www.vnusmartsupplier.com, offers a complete archive of Wal-Mart-related news and analysis from VNU Business Media's leading business-to-business magazine and Web site brands, including Progressive Grocer and Convenience Store News; original reporting and insight from Smart Supplier's award-winning retail editors; and exclusive consumer research and product sales data from leading research firms, including ACNielsen.

SPRINGDALE, Ark. -- Harps Food Stores, Inc. plans to implement new centralized pricing, sales, and profitability reporting software for its 48 stores under the Harps Food Stores and Price Cutter Food Warehouse banners.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The California Senate Committee on Business and Professions, chaired by Sen. Liz Figueroa (D-Alameda and Santa Clara counties), will hold an informational hearing today on slotting fees in the grocery industry. The hearing is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon in Room 112 of the State Capitol.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Supervalu, Inc. said yesterday that it had completed its cash tender offer for all outstanding shares of common stock of Milwaukee-based Total Logistics, Inc., a national provider of integrated third-party logistics services and manufacturer of refrigeration systems. The tender offer began Jan. 7 and expired at midnight EST on Feb. 4.