Produce Clerk

Major US retailers including Dollar General, BJ's Wholesale Club, Lululemon, and Under Armour are reducing their product ranges to improve profitability. Dollar General cut 1,500 stock-keeping units in March, whilst BJ's reduced its assortment by 25% and plans further 25% cuts. Lululemon trimmed North America SKUs by 15% in September. The strategy aims to reduce discounting and boost pricing power. Under Armour's CEO Kevin Plank said the company would "sell so much more of so many less products at a much higher full retail price." However, the approach carries risks. Retailers may lose customers to competitors offering discontinued items, and must justify short-term revenue declines to investors. BJ's acknowledged a previous SKU reduction attempt was unsuccessful before refining its approach.

Kroger is testing one 24-hour location in Cincinnati and five in Indiana - Report. Canada: Walmart celebrates transformation of its Squamish store into a Supercentre Walmart Canada reported: "Walmart Canada grand opened its Squamish store as the Squamish Walmart Supercentre, marking its complete transformation to introduce fresh groceries for the Squamish community. The new Supercentre features: A fresh assortment of groceries, including produce, meat, seafood, bakery and dairy". Source: walmartcanada.ca US: BJ's Wholesale Club said to plan logistics hub in Orlando BJ's Wholesale Club is seeking to invest nearly $30mln to expand its Orlando, Florida, distribution facility and turn it into a logistics headquarters, according to a report in the Orlando Business Journal. Source: supermarketnews.com Aldi and Trader Joe's take different roads to growth in 2026 Placer.ai reported in The Anchor: "Aldi and Trader Joe's put the same limited-assortment model to different uses. Aldi points it at the price of the weekly basics; Trader Joe's at specialty and discovery. Trader Joe's limited-time drops helped drive steady year-over-year visit growth, with June's mini totes notably lifting Wednesday visits 43.7%. Aldi's expansion and price positioning showed up in both reach and repeat visits. Overall traffic grew every month of 2026, and 21.2% of shoppers made three or more trips in an average month". Source: placer.ai US: Kroger tests a return to the 24-hour store According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Kroger is testing one 24-hour location in Cincinnati and five in Indiana. In a statement, Kroger said it constantly looks for ways to provide customers with fast and convenient shopping options, both in-store and online. Source: supermarketnews.com Competition Bureau investigating if grocery deals are being 'kept' from Canadians The Competition Bureau has launched an investigation into the use of minimum advertised pricing policies in the grocery sector. These policies, which can be imposed by suppliers or negotiated between suppliers and retailers, set the lowest price at which a retailer can advertise a product. The bureau said these policies can prevent retailers from advertising lower prices, even when they are prepared to offer those prices in-store. Source: canadiangrocer.com "Albert Heijn has already overtaken Lidl in Flanders" By the end of this year, Albert Heijn will have 90 stores in Belgium, Marketing Director Els Lagrou said. Despite "only" four store openings this year, Albert Heijn continues its rapid rise: in terms of market share, the retailer has already overtaken Lidl in Flanders, as Lagrou showed on a slide that, however, did not include specific figures. Source: retaildetail.eu Grocery inflation cools in Spain, shoppers face price disparities - OCU According to the 2026 annual study by the Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU), prices dropped for paper napkins (-30.4%), Canary Island bananas (-22.6%), artichokes (-15.1%), and mashed potatoes (-14.8%). Source: esmmagazine.com Musgrave ramps up Irish quick commerce push with Snappy Technologies Order Aggregation platform Musgrave Northern Ireland, part of the Musgrave Group, an Irish convenience retail, wholesale and food service business, whose brands include SuperValu and Centra, has expanded its rapid grocery delivery offering through a partnership with Snappy Technologies, powered by the company's Order Aggregation (OA) platform. Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com Germany: Netto Marken-Discount hits interim food waste reduction target Netto Marken-Discount has reached its voluntary interim target for reducing food waste as part of its ongoing partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Community (BMLEH). The discounter has also achieved its benchmark of ensuring at least 90% of its stores donate surplus, edible food to local charities such as the Tafel food banks. To mark the nationwide campaign week 'Too good for the bin!' (running from 28 September to 2 October 2026), Netto is spotlighting food appreciation by bringing back its popular 'Nobody is perfect' campaign. The initiative encourages shoppers to embrace imperfect, locally sourced fruits and vegetables, such as crooked apples and carrots, that fail to meet cosmetic standards but remain of impeccable quality. Source: esmmagazine.com UK: Two-legged delivery robot unveiled in Tech Town A two-legged delivery robot has taken to the streets of Barnsley for a "European-first" trial. Barnsley was chosen to host Iris as part of its designation as the UK's first Tech Town, which will see AI utilised in public services, schools, businesses and the NHS. Iris was developed by Japanese company Refined Robotics, which is running the trial in collaboration with parcel delivery group Evri. Source: bbc.com Tesco announces 2026 Agri-tech Challenge winners as British farmers accelerate innovation to bolster food security Tesco reported: "Tesco has named AgroSustain the winner of the early-stage category of its 2026 Agri-tech Challenge following a live final at its headquarters. The Swiss agri-tech company has developed an innovative sealing technology designed to strengthen plant resilience and protect crops. The technology, named Tornado, forms an invisible physical barrier on the plant surface using edible ingredients, helping crops withstand challenging growing conditions including drought and salinity. By protecting plants from environmental stresses, the technology aims to reduce crop losses, support higher yields, and reduce reliance on conventional treatments". Source: tescoplc.com Iceland Foods taps Retail Insight AI powered solution as retailer tackles growing food waste problem Iceland Foods has partnered with Retail Insight to deploy its AI powered WasteInsight solution as part of the retailer's focus on reducing food waste. Source: retailtechinnovationhub.com SPAR Scotland celebrates the power of collaboration at annual tradeshow event SPAR Scotland brought retailers, store managers, suppliers, colleagues and representatives from SPAR UK, SPAR International and other industry bodies together for its annual event, with 'Collaborate' providing the theme for a day focused on partnership, inspiration and opportunities for the future. Source: spar.co.uk METRO Russia placed under temporary forced administration METRO AG reported: 'Even though the ownership of METRO Russia formally remains with METRO AG, the decree means that METRO itself no longer has operational control. The Russian state has transferred operational control to "UK Torg RUS", a company owned by the CEO of METRO Russia, Johannes Tholey'. Source: newsroom.metroag.de

BJ's Wholesale Club eyes Grove City for third Columbus-area store. Posted: Sep 28, 2026 / 10:30 AM EDT Updated: Sep 28, 2026 / 11:35 AM EDT GROVE CITY, Ohio (WCMH) - BJ's Wholesale Club is seeking to open its third central Ohio store, proposing a more than 100,000-square-foot membership warehouse and gas station on Stringtown Road in Grove City. An application submitted to the city's development department earlier this month requests preliminary approval for a 104,470-square-foot club on roughly 18 acres at 1209-1213 Stringtown Road. The site is south of Stringtown Road between Buckeye Parkway and Jackson Pike, also known as State Route 104. Plans include a members-only gas station with 18 fueling positions and a roughly 400-square-foot kiosk. Plans also reserve roughly 1.2 acres near Stringtown Road for a possible retail or restaurant building with a drive-thru or pickup window, according to the project narrative. The narrative does not identify a tenant and describes the outparcel as a potential component of the development. See the latest NBC4 headlines in the video player above. The preliminary site plan shows 422 parking spaces and as many as three access points. The proposed configuration includes one full-service entrance and one restricted to right turns in and out along Stringtown Road, plus another right-in, right-out entrance along Jackson Pike. The application also calls for pedestrian and bicycle connections along both roads. A traffic study will examine the need for turn lanes and evaluate how the development would affect nearby intersections, including Stringtown Road at Jackson Pike and Jackson Pike at White Road. The application seeks planned-unit commercial zoning for land currently split between industrial zoning in Grove City and suburban residential zoning in Jackson Township. Grove City Council would need to approve the requested zoning and preliminary development plan, before the project could proceed The filings do not provide a construction schedule or anticipated opening date. BJ's is a Marlborough, Massachusetts-based membership retailer selling groceries, household products, electronics, clothing and other merchandise, often in bulk. It operates 267 clubs across 22 states. The company returned to central Ohio after a two-decade absence when it opened its New Albany-area store at Hamilton Quarter in 2022. A second regional location opened in Lewis Center in 2023. BJ's is also building a more than 500,000-square-foot distribution center in Commercial Point, which the company expects to open in early 2027. The facility will replenish ambient-temperature groceries and general merchandise throughout the company's network. Its 125-acre site also provides room for future expansion.