Retail Daily

Walmart expands in Canada. Instacart and DoorDash are going head-to-head with Super Bowl commercials. And tater totz – that’s totz with a Z – make their return to c-store chain Sheetz.

CVS has announced a new app feature that will allow customers to unlock items themselves, in-store audio platform provider Qsic has closed on a $25 million round of funding, and after a five-year absence Stewart’s Shops’ Mountain Brew beer will return to the convenience-store chain in mid-February.

Whole Foods workers unionize in Philadelphia. Indiana puts out a warning about nitrous oxide sales at c-stores. And the Raley’s Companies promotes two executives.

Target gets pushback on its decision to end its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Hy-Vee names a new chief marketing officer. And Buc-ee’s is headed to Wisconsin.

SpartanNash is closing four stores. Mobile app Trucker Path has come out with its annual ranking of truck stops. And Dollar General is expanding its private-label offering.

Wegmans is partnering with last-mile delivery service Uber Eats. Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores has big growth plans for 2025. And King Soopers and City Market workers in Colorado will soon hold strike vote meetings.

In early January Dollar General laid off about 60 corporate-level employees. Buc-ee’s has filed a lawsuit against Super Fuels. And  Pilot Co. is closing its international oil trading business and focusing on its Pilot Flying J travel centers.

Costco workers could go on strike if a new contract is not worked out by the end of the month. LV Petroleum has acquired two TA-branded travel centers from Wilmoth Oil. And Hy-Vee is converting all 79 of its in-store Wahlburgers restaurants back to its own Market Grille brand.

Instacart has signed off on a deal to push its smart Caper Carts into the hands of more independent grocers and convenience-store retailers. bp is cutting more than 5% of its global employees. And Pilot Co. opened its largest store to date.

Time is running out in contract talks between union grocery workers in Colorado and King Soopers. Burt Holmes, the co-founder of the QuikTrip convenience-store chain, has died at age 93. And the Food and Drug Administration authorized 20 Zyn nicotine pouch products.

Save A Lot is getting ready to reopen a store in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood. The Food and Drug Administration published its proposed rule that aims to establish a maximum nicotine level in cigarettes. And Albertsons has announced layoffs in its corporate and division support offices. 

Casey’s General Stores has purchased Wow! Foodmart and its affiliated retail portfolio. Both fresh and frozen seafood experienced noticeable drops in unit sales in December. And Irish convenience retailer Applegreen is selling its gas station business in the United Kingdom and will use the proceeds from the transaction, in part, to invest in its business in the United States.

Consumers are bracing for another year of tough inflation. Kimberly James has joined Amazon to lead the U.S. convenience categories for its cashierless Amazon Go stores. And Family Dollar’s chief merchandising officer will be stepping down.

The California Fuels & Convenience Alliance is working with the Fuel Relief Fund amid the Palisades and Hurst wildfires. The union representing Costco workers says executives at the warehouse retailer “abruptly ended” collective bargaining negotiations. And there are more nonalcohol beverages to choose from this Dry January.

Grocery stores throughout Los Angeles County evacuate as wildfires destroy thousands of structures. Grocery chains and c-stores take a hit with the rise in popularity of GLP-1 drugs. And THC-infused products are now available on DoorDash.

Trader Joe’s announces a dozen new stores. The Biden Administration’s move to reduce the amount of nicotine in cigarettes advances. And Albertsons reports stronger-than-expected earnings in Q3.

The City of Chicago takes a pass on launching its own grocery store. Bird flu sends the price of eggs skyrocketing. And the National Association of Truck Stop Operators gets a new interim CEO.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sues Walmart. QuikTrip opens its sixth store in metro Houston. And the elimination of Kansas’ grocery store tax has Missouri grocers worried.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration issues a final rule to update which food can be labeled healthy, Pilot celebrates the opening of a new convenience store, and Atlanta provides over $8 million for two new grocery stores located in food deserts.

Dollar Tree names a permanent CEO, Walmart tests the use of body cameras on workers, and the FDA warns retailers and manufacturers for selling unauthorized e-cigarette products.

Global convenience company Seven & i Holdings plans to open 500 new stores in the U.S. and Canada through 2027. ChargePoint and General Motors are partnering to install hundreds of ultra-fast electric vehicle charging ports across the U.S. And total food and beverage sales were up 12.4% in November year-over-year.

Weis Markets is buying Saylor’s Market. Lisa Mulling is stepping away from the National Association of Truck Stop Operators. And QuikTrip opens another store in Texas.

Albertsons lawsuit against Kroger over the failed $24.6 billion merger is unsealed, EVgo receives $1.25 billion to build 7,500 charging stations, and Philip Morris International’s subsidiary Swedish Match North America will pay $1.2 million to resolve allegations that the company facilitated the sale of tens of thousands of flavored products in Washington D.C. 

The challenges for Kroger continue in the wake of its failed merger with Albertsons. Jacksons Food Stores has acquired the retail, wholesale and transportation assets of Hi-Noon Petroleum. And Greg Finchum will become the new president of Food Lion.

Sheetz and IONNA have formed a strategic partnership for electric vehicle charging. The Federal Trade Commission is suing Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits. And Foxtrot Café and Market is reopening two Dallas locations in January.