Pharmacy

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Food/beverage/grocery online sales are expected to reach $6.2 billion this year -- a 17 percent increase from 2005, according to The 2006 State of Retailing Online, the ninth annual Shop.org study of online retailing conducted by Forrester Research, Inc. That gain is part of a larger trend that will see online sales will top $200 billion this year, Forrester said yesterday.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Private label sodas from two supermarket chains were among the soft drink products tested over a number of months by the FDA that were found to contain the cancer-causing chemical benzene in some soft drinks, but not at high enough levels to cause harm, the U.S. agency said last Friday.

QUINCY, Mass. -- Faced by days of record rainfall and what's being called the worst flooding in the region in 70 years, Stop & Shop, based here, has remained a steadfast presence: Not one of the retailer's stores have closed since the downpour started, the company reported.

Cramming higher quality, fresher foods, and better shopping into efficient footprints -- today's best c-stores are proof that good things come in small packages.

It pays to check whether ethics policies are ingrained in your culture, day in and day out.

Manufacturers weigh in on the big ideas driving deli/bakery department progress.

Varieties and packaging options keep the tea category steeped in sales.

The drive to up the ante on service is evidenced by the increased deployment of customer-facing technology such as information kiosks, digital media displays, and marketing and promotion technology, all in essence dedicated to making more effective connections to shoppers and their needs. This high-touch environment also results in the avoidance of self-checkout technology, though, as the numbers show, most independents realize they'll eventually have to install these units for competitive reasons.