Wayfair to Open Massive Store in Atlanta in 2026
Online furniture giant Wayfair is setting up shop in Atlanta with plans for a huge 150,000-square-foot store opening in 2026. The new location will take over the former Walmart space at The District at Howell Mill shopping center. This marks Wayfair's second big store, following its first location that opened in Wilmette, Illinois, in May 2024.
Nintendo to Open Second U.S. Store in San Francisco
Nintendo, the Japanese gaming giant, announced it will open its second official U.S. store in San Francisco's Union Square on May 15. Located at 331 Powell Street, the nearly 11,000-square-foot Nintendo SAN FRANCISCO store will offer gamers a "unique shopping experience filled with Nintendo's characters, worlds and exclusive products including accessories, apparel, home goods and souvenirs available only at this location."
Lowe's Revamps Rewards Program with New Perks for Professionals
Lowe's is giving its loyalty program a makeover to better serve small and mid-sized professional contractors. The home improvement retailer has changed its MVPs Pro Rewards & Partnership Program into the new MyLowe's Pro Rewards. The updated program aims to make life easier for professionals while offering more benefits from their first purchase.
Dollar General Grows Private Label Line as Store Brands Reach $271B
Dollar General is adding more of its private label food offerings to stores, following similar moves by big retailers like Walmart and Amazon as store brands keep growing in popularity. The store is launching new items under its own labels, including ice cream, cinnamon rolls, coffee syrups, and salad dressings. The move comes as store brand sales reached $271 billion in 2024, up nearly 4% from 2023.
Love's Travel Stops Plans Big Growth and Store Updates in 2025
Love's Travel Stops is starting 2025 with ambitious growth plans, adding 20 new stores and updating 50 current locations across the country. The truck stop company will upgrade its stores through its Strategic Remodel Initiative, which started in 2022. This includes the modernization of its recently acquired turnpike location in Stroud, Oklahoma. By 2035, over half of Love's 655 stores will be either new or updated.
Sodexo Brings 100 Food Hive Stores to College Campuses
Food service giant Sodexo plans to open nearly 100 "Food Hive" locations on campuses nationwide by 2026. The company has already started the process, aiming to launch about 30 new college convenience stores during the current 2024-25 academic year.
Walmart Wins on Grocery Sales but Not Customer Satisfaction
In a new survey of America's grocery stores, Walmart has emerged as the nation's leading grocery retailer, though not all the findings are positive for the retail giant. The study by Market Force Information, which surveyed more than 4,300 U.S. consumers, shows that Walmart's huge network of 4,606 retail locations helps secure its position ahead of competitors Kroger, ALDI, Costco, and Publix.
Retailers Sabotaging Sales with Poor Customer Experience
As the holiday shopping season reaches its peak, retailers are doing everything they can to attract customers and boost sales. But in their zeal to cut costs and deter theft, many merchants are actually making it harder for shoppers to buy their products, according to a recent article by Retail Dive.
Amazon Fresh Expands Footprint to 60 Stores
Amazon Fresh, the online retail giant's grocery chain, has hit the 60-store mark after recently opening 10 new stores across the country, the company confirmed. The newly opened locations range from 31,000 to 59,000 square feet and include three stores in California, two in New York, and one each in Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Online Grocery Sales Jump 28%, Hit $10.5 Billion in Single Month
Online grocery sales are booming like never before. Americans spent $10.5 billion on online groceries in October, a 28% increase over last year, according to a new Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopper Survey. It marked the second straight month that year-over-year gains topped 20%.