Equipment & Design

General merchandise and HBC have gone from grocery's stepchildren to leading players in Stop & Shop's prototype format.

NATICK, Mass. -- Due in large part to robust private label and high-margin fresh food sales, BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. yesterday posted a positive second quarter performance, although tempered on the income side by lower than anticipated profits on fuel.

NATICK, Mass. -- BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. yesterday reported that sales for July grew 9.3 percent to $582.3 million from $532.6 million in the year-ago period, with grocery categories playing a significant roles in the gains.

NEW YORK -- In a sign that manufacturers have upped the ante on their coupon promotions, FSI coupon use was on the rise in the first half of the year, led by a 15.7 percent jump in personal care product coupons, according to the latest Marx FSI Trend Report issued yesterday.

VANCOUVER, B.C. -- For the second straight year, the cost of unsaleable products has declined for CPG manufacturers, according to the 2005 Unsaleables Benchmark Report, which was released yesterday at the Joint Unsaleables Management Conference here, which is produced by GMA in conjunction with FMI, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.

NATICK, Mass. -- BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc., based here, said yesterday that June sales went up 8.9 percent to $796.1 million, from $730.9 million last year. Led by strong performance in food categories, sales on a comparable-club basis grew 4.3 percent in June, despite a negative effect from sales of gasoline of about 30 basis points.

CINCINNATI -- The Kroger Co. here is wasting no time soliciting SaveRite shoppers in the metro Atlanta market. On Wednesday, June 22 -- the day Winn-Dixie disclosed its latest plan for closing stores -- the Cincinnati-based chain ran a newspaper ad that included the message that Kroger "Welcomes SaveRite Customers!"

NEW YORK -- According to a national study, consumers are increasingly trusting food retailers and manufacturers to provide them with information on nutrition, health, and cooking. Conducted this month by knowledge services company FIND/SVP, among 1,000 consumers, the study found that 78 percent of those polled would have confidence in nutritional advice from a food retailer.