Giant/Martin's and Stop & Shop to add robots that roam store aisles

Giant Food Stores announced earlier this month that each of its Giant/Martin's and Stop & Shop stores will soon feature a 6-foot, 5-inch, 130-pound robot named Marty.  Marty will scan the aisles for fallen items, and will move around slowly enough for customers to take selfie's with it, according to President Nicholas Bertram.

The effort is being hailed as the largest front-of-store robot rollout in the world.

Badger Technologies CEO Tim Rowland explained that Marty can detect objects and movement, and will avoid bumping into shoppers. If something falls off a shelf, Marty will find it and activate an alert system that will result in an employee coming to pick up the item. Badger Technologies partnered with Giant's parent company, Ahold, to create the robot.

Marty also has the capability to scan shelves for out-of-stock items, but that is not part of the initial rollout.

According to Giant, the new technology will not replace employees; rather, it will "replace tasks."

Last October, Walmart said that 78 stores had a self-driving robot cleaning floors, and that they planned to expand the technology to 360 stores.

Ahold suspends Bfresh small format concept

Published reports last month stated that Ahold Delhaize, the parent company for Giant, Food Lion and Stop & Shop, is suspending its small-format Bfresh brand and will not open Bfresh stores in Philadelphia, as previously announced. The company still plans to make use of the spaces it has leased, though.

In addition, Ahold's 3,700 SF Everything Fresh grocery store on Walnut Street in Center City has closed.

Last year the company announced that it would open Bfresh stores at Second and South Streets, Bainbridge Street and University City.

Kroger - Ahold merger rumors have started

Last week the Cincinnati Business Courier reported that an analyst report out of Europe speculated that Kroger was pursuing a merger with Ahold Delhaize (Giant, Food Lion, Stop & Shop, Peapod, among others). On Wednesday of last week, Supermarket News reported that it was not able to verify the substance of the claim.

Analysts have talked about such a merger before, suggesting that the two powerful food retailers could gain additional scale and more effectively fight competitors like Walmart, Aldi and Amazon-Whole Foods. A merger would also provide Kroger with access to Peapod and its e-commerce platform.

As reported in Supermarket News, Ahold and Kroger have similar operating strategies in the U.S., both have invested in lower prices and have developed distinct private brands. Although the two companies compete in the Southeast, Ahold's Northeast store base would compliment Kroger's existing footprint.

ShopRite tops in New Jersey with 139 stores

A story on NJ.com last month listed the 10 biggest supermarket chains (by number of stores) in New Jersey. Here's the list.

ShopRite - 139 stores
Acme - 77
Stop & Shop - 61
Target - 44
Aldi - 42
Walmart - 29
BJ's Wholesale Club - 23
Kings Food Market - 23
Save-A-Lot - 22
Key Food - 22

Stores in New Jersey with fewer locations include Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Wegmans, Weis Markets, and soon... Lidl.

Ahold and Delhaize approve company merger

Ahold and Delhaize shareholders approved the merger of the two companies last month, leaving approval from competition authorities in the United States and Europe as the final hurdle. Pending the necessary approvals, the deal is expected to close this summer.

In order to help facilitate the approvals, both chains are offering a combined 83 stores for sale, according to Food Trade News. The stores for sale are assumed to represent an overlap in markets where both stores exist.

According to published lists, there are four stores for sale in Pennsylvania (York, Waynesboro, and two in Chambersburg), all of which carry the Food Lion banner.

Ahold USA, headquartered in Carlisle, PA and Quincy, MA, includes Giant Food, Stop & Shop and Peapod, among others. According to the company's website, Ahold USA operates 770 supermarkets and 210 "pick-up points" in 14 states and the District of Columbia.

Delhaize America includes Food Lion and Hannaford, and operates 1,288 supermarkets in 15 states. The company's website reports that Delhaize America accounts for 66% of the overall company revenue.

A&P has sold 167 of 296 stores; all remaining supermarkets to go dark by Thanksgiving

To quote the Food Trade News, "The wind down of the once iconic Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company goes on and the results continue to be underwhelming."

The publications November issue reports that 167 of the 296 stores have been sold, with another 20 awaiting sales approval from the bankruptcy court. All the stores are slated to shut their doors by November 25.

The 167 stores have sold for a total of $615.7 million, and the 20 additional stores to be sold will bring in another $81 million, pending approval.  A&P has also sold inventories and pharmacy records (about $100 million between the two), and has received a $1.75 million offer from Key Foods to acquire the Food Emporium name.

Once all the stores are closed and A&P is no longer under bankruptcy protection, landlords stuck with vacant stores and no rental income will be free to market their properties (with some exceptions, as per the ongoing bankruptcy process).

So far, 71 stores have been sold to Acme, most of which have already re-opened. Stop & Shop and Key Food Stores acquired 25 and 24 units, respectively. Wakefern (13) and Best Yet (10) also bought multiple stores.

Reference: Food Trade News

Acme to bid on bankrupt A&P stores; several Pathmarks and Superfresh stores to close immediately

One day after A&P filed for bankruptcy for the second time in five years, Acme announced today that it will bid to acquire 76 A&P, Superfresh and Pathmark stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

In a statement by A&P earlier today, the company said it plans to sell 120 stores in total for about $600 million. The food retailer has 296 stores overall, and in its bankruptcy filing it lists assets and liabilities of more than $1 billion each.

Analysts have speculated that Ahold (Giant, Stop & Shop) may bid on certain A&P locations as well.

A report this afternoon by Natalie Kostelni on the Philadelphia Business Journal's website said that A&P has asked a bankruptcy judge "to let it quickly close 25 underperforming stores that have sustained 'significant operating losses.'" A list of stores slated for closure is below.

A story on PhillyVoice.com pointed out that A&P operated more than 15,000 stores early in the 20th century. By 2010, the company was a fraction of its former self and filed for bankruptcy. A couple years later it emerged as a private company after obtaining financing from investors.

Acme is a subsidiary of Albertsons, which acquired Acme in 2013, and the Malvern, PA-based company operates 107 stores.

Stores slated for quick closure:

A&P (2101 Route 35, Holmdel, NJ)
A&P (325 Highway 35 South, Cliffwood, NJ)
Pathmark (1764 Grand Avenue, Baldwin, NY)
Pathmark (115 Belmont Avenue, Belleville, NJ)
Pathmark (450 West Swedesford Road, Berwyn, PA)
Pathmark (2150 Middle Country Road, Centereach, NY)
Pathmark (85 Ackerman Avenue, Clifton, NJ)
Pathmark (895 Paulison Avenue, Clifton, NJ)
Pathmark (50 Racetrack Road & Route 18, East Brunswick, NJ)
Pathmark (561 Route 1, Edison, NJ)
Pathmark (420 McDade Boulevard, Folsom, PA)
Pathmark (651 North Stiles Street, Linden, NJ)
Pathmark (1043 Route 9 North, Old Bridge, NJ)
Pathmark (840 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA)
Pathmark (85 Franklin Mills Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA)
Pathmark (1256 Indian Head Road, Toms River, NJ)
Pathmark (300 South Best Avenue, Walnutport, PA)
Pathmark (3901 Lancaster Avenue, Wilmington, DE)
Superfresh (1301 Skippack Pike, Center Square, PA)
Superfresh (2105 Philadelphia Pike, Claymont, DE)
Superfresh (863 East Baltimore Pike, Kennett Square, PA)
Superfresh (1851 South Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA)
Waldbaums (2 Westbury Avenue, Carle Place, NY)
Waldbaums (3620 Long Beach Road, Oceanside, NY)
Waldbaums (1510 Old Country Road, Riverhead, NY)