Bakery Clerk

BJ's Wholesale Club to open Ocala, FL, location Oct. 23. Grand opening includes $2-per-gallon gas promotion and partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida BJ's Wholesale Club will open its new Ocala, Florida, club at 7351 SW 60th Ave. on Oct. 23. To celebrate, the on-site BJ's Gas will offer members $2-per-gallon regular gas for one day only on Oct. 21 from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a 30-gallon limit. Limited-time membership offers start at $40 for one year and include a $10 reward for each $100 transaction during the club's first 90 days. "BJ's members save up to 25 percent off grocery store prices every day. We're thrilled to bring that unbeatable value and convenience to Ocala," said Jeff Scott, club manager of the Ocala BJ's. "We're excited to be part of the community and look forward to taking care of the families who depend on us." The club offers fresh foods, produce, a full-service deli, fresh bakery goods, household essentials, pet supplies, electronics and more, with curbside pickup, same-day delivery and shipping available through BJs.com. Members shopping in-club can use ExpressPay through the BJ's mobile app to scan products as they shop and skip the checkout line. In Ocala, BJ's is partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, regularly donating produce, meat, dairy and more. The retailer has worked with Feeding America and its network of food banks for more than 15 years, providing more than 165 million meals. "Thanks to our partnership with BJ's Wholesale Club, Second Harvest and our network of feeding partners are able to provide more food to kids, families and seniors facing hunger," said Derrick Chubbs, president and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. Headquartered in Marlborough, Massachusetts, BJ's pioneered the warehouse club model in New England in 1984 and operates 268 clubs and 209 BJ's Gas locations in 22 states.

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