JUNE 2020 /RETAIL NEWS

GROCERY STORE FOOD AVAILABILITY IMPROVING, SAY PHILADELPHIA SHOPRITE CONSUMERS REOPENS AFTER BEING LOOTED FOR 15 HOURS • Taking into account the meat and poultry supply chain issues due STRAIGHT to COVID-19, outbreaks at processing plants, and resulting labor shortages, 51% of the consumers who reported encountering A ShopRite in Philadelphia's out-of-stock items said they weren’t able to purchase the meat or Parkside section has reopened poultry item they were looking for in the week ending May 28. after being ransacked and This was an improvement from 61% the previous week looted for hours last weekend • Beef facilities are operating at 98%, pork facilities are operating DRIVE-THRU GROCERIES at 95% and poultry facilities are operating at 98% of their year- OFFERED ago capacity up from their lowest points during the COVID-19 pandemic of 35% below their one year-ago capacity Tuesday and Thursday at Rockville High School, 70 “With the majority of households still preparing all Loveland Hill Road, from 11 their meals and snacks in-home in May and the a.m. to 1 p.m continuing supply chain challenges, limited or out-of- stock situations are inevitable. Considering the unprecedented situations the COVID-19 pandemic has presented over the last few months, the U.S. food supply chain has held up remarkably well.”

David Portalatin, National Purchase Diary Group food industry advisor and author of "Eating Patterns in America,"

VILLAGE SUPER MARKET REPORTS NEARLY 16% JUMP IN Q3 SALES

• ShopRite operator Village Super Market saw overall and same- store sales surge by double digits in its fiscal 2020 third quarter, driven by higher demand triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic

• In response to COVID-19, Village Super Market said it invested more than $5.5 million during the third quarter on initiatives to safeguard customers and employees and support the communities it serves in its four-state market area

NEW SHOPRITE COMING TO MONMOUTH COUNTY

• Saker ShopRite's new supermarket will replace an older ShopRite across the highway at 18th Avenue. The former Super of Wall, which closed in 2017, has been demolished • Also, in Middletown, a construction plan to turn the old Sears store into a new ShopRite, which has been talked about for months, has made its way through a review by township departments. Once completed, it will move the ShopRite supermarket, now located at Middletown Plaza, across the street

Contact Us ’S ONLINE SALES HAVE SURGED 74% DURING THE PANDEMIC SobelCo 293 Eisenhower Parkway • Contrary to the overall U.S. retail market results ending Q1 down Livingston, NJ 07039 2.9%, there was solid performance by Walmart driven by grocery, 973-994-9494 essential goods and strong digital commerce SobelCoLLC.com • Consolidated shopping trips by customers resulted in 5.6% fewer transactions. The decrease in shopping trips to the physical stores is due to government mandates to stay home and a shift to items being purchased online

SobelCo Says: The increase in demand for online grocery ordering, pickup, and delivery has moved the industry in a direction that it was already heading – just at an accelerated pace. Store owners have to continue to reassess infrastructure, labor needs, and technology – ensuring that that their customers are provided an experience that will encourage them to continue to utilize these services.

STOP & SHOP, KING KULLEN KILL ACQUISITION DEAL

• Stop & Shop’s long-pending acquisition of , N.Y., grocer King Kullen is now a no-go • The two chains, along with Stop & Shop parent USA, said Wednesday that they have mutually decided to terminate the deal because of “significant, unforeseen changes in the marketplace,” mainly triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak • Bethpage, N.Y.-based King Kullen currently operates 29 supermarkets and five Wild by Nature natural/organic grocery stores on Long Island, where Stop & Shop has more than 50 stores

INSTACART LANDS $225 MILLION IN NEW FUNDING

• They expect to funnel the new capital into expansion of its shopper community, including new services and features; key businesses such as Instacart Advertising and Instacart Enterprise; and continued scaling of its operational and technical teams to help meet rising demand for delivery and pickup • Currently, Instacart now partners with more than 400 national, regional and local retailers across more than 30,000 stores in the United States and Canada

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