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WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT — Family Dollar is on a mission to increase traffic to its stores — of which it intends to build twice as many in fiscal 2012 as it did in fiscal 2011 — and grow its market basket. That has meant a growing emphasis on what it considers its consumables business, a substantial portion of which is constituted by health and beauty aids. As part of a long-term strategy to create an improved shopping experience and enhance customer loyalty, it expanded consumables into 5,800 stores over the past year.

ITASCA, Ill. — Supervalu's Jewel-Osco chain announced that it will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with its fourth annual VIP reception to honor the culture and significant achievements of the Hispanic community. The signature event, "Sabor de la Herencia Hispana," will be held Sept. 14, at the National Museum of Mexican Art located on 1852 W. 19th Street in Chicago, from 6 to 9 p.m.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway on Tuesday announced its offering of flu shots in its grocery stores — positioning its flu season inoculation as more convenient to drug stores.

"Safeway makes getting a flu shot more convenient than most other retailers offering immunizations, because consumers visit grocery stores on a regular basis," the supermarket chain stated. "In an average month, 49% of those surveyed said they visit grocery stores most often, compared [with] 8% who said they visit drug stores most often."

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway is helping customers prepare for the flu season by offering a new deal for those that get inoculated at its pharmacies.

Customers that get their flu vaccine at Safeway will be awarded 10% off their next grocery purchase, according to the retailer's official blog.

Many retailers across the country have rolled out their flu vaccine programs this season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends flu shots for everyone ages 6 months and older.

BOISE — Privately owned Albertsons LLC, which operates more than 200 pharmacies across six states, has named Stewart Edington VP pharmacy operations.

Edington has been with Albertsons stores since 2003, when he was hired as a pharmacy manager and worked in the company’s Phoenix stores. In 2006, Edington joined Albertsons LLC as the division pharmacy manager for the company's Florida stores, a position he has held for the last five years.

MINNEAPOLIS — In an effort to increase the stickiness of Supervalu shoppers, Supervalu president and CEO Craig Herkert on Tuesday spoke of the company’s “hyper-local retailing” concept during a conference call with analysts.

Supervalu’s commitment to growing its Save-A-Lot discount banner and its participation in First Lady Michelle Obama’s Partnership for a Healthier America campaign were other significant programs Herkert believes will help differentiate the grocer enough to drive trips and increase consumer loyalty.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A food distributor has penned a three-year agreement with a supermarket chain to provide customers with nonproprietary natural, organic and specialty products.

United Natural Foods said it will assume distribution to all of Safeway's banners, effective this October. The company said it is expecting a brief transition period from Safeway's current distributors.

MINNEAPOLIS — Supervalu on Monday issued a clarification that its Albertsons banners are not removing any self-checkout lanes from their stores.

Confusion was created out of an announcement at the top of July that Albertsons LLC, a separate entity that owns and operates 217 stores in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas and Utah, decided to remove self-checkout lanes from its stores.

PHILADELPHIA — Giant-Carlisle plans to open its first store in Philadelphia next week, the grocery chain said.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid announced Thursday changes in its human resources and operations departments.

The 4,700-store chain named Brian Fiala as EVP human resources and Robert Thompson as EVP store operations. Rite Aid also appointed Bill Romine as SVP of the chain’s Western division.

Fiala previously served as EVP store operations, having joined the company in 2007 after working for 24 years at Target. He replaces Steve Parsons, who is leaving the company to take another position, and will report to president and CEO John Standley.

Overdrive.


Increasingly, chains that traditionally have not been major forces in food retailing are making bigger commitments than ever to fresh — including meat, produce and dairy — in an effort not only to help solve the nation’s growing health crisis and expand Americans’ access to nutritious food options, but also to create new reasons for customers to shop their stores.