Walmart

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Following a successful auction on May 9, bankrupt retailer Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. here has reached agreements to sell 21 stores in Florida to 14 purchasers, including Kash N' Karry, Wal-Mart, and Office Depot. The stores are part of a group of 35 locations that the company closed earlier this year.

LONDON -- Already accounting for more than 32 percent of the global market, the world's largest 30 grocery retailers continue to grow at a faster rate than the modern grocery market as a whole, according to Planet Retail's Top 30 Grocery Retailers Worldwide report.

KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Larry's Markets this week revealed that the six-store chain, based here, is looking to sell the company and has filed for financial protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code while it engages in sales negotiations.

DES MOINES -- Dahl's Foods, Inc., a grocery chain based here, will begin selling gasoline in August, when the retailer is slated to launch its first combination gas station, convenience store, and car wash, to be known as Dahl's Fuel, according to a published report. The grocer's headquarters are on the second floor of the store, which is located at Merle Hay Road and Aurora Avenue in Des Moines.

LEEDS, England -- Wal-Mart-owned ASDA, the United Kingdom's second-largest retailer, is introducing Heartfelt Plus Natural Cheese, the first cheddar cheese in that country to combine both low-fat and cholesterol-lowering benefits. The product will be in stores tomorrow. Hearfelt Plus contains Reducol, a cholesterol-lowering ingredient developed by Vancouver, B.C.-based Forbes Medi-Tech, Inc.

CERRITOS, Calif. -- Retail marketing services firm Mass Connections here is boosting its retail expertise with the addition of Douglas Pursley, a 15-year marketing veteran with Wal-Mart, Inc., who has joined the company as v.p., sales.

The drive to up the ante on service is evidenced by the increased deployment of customer-facing technology such as information kiosks, digital media displays, and marketing and promotion technology, all in essence dedicated to making more effective connections to shoppers and their needs. This high-touch environment also results in the avoidance of self-checkout technology, though, as the numbers show, most independents realize they'll eventually have to install these units for competitive reasons.

The drive to up the ante on service is evidenced by the increased deployment of customer-facing technology such as information kiosks, digital media displays, and marketing and promotion technology, all in essence dedicated to making more effective connections to shoppers and their needs. This high-touch environment also results in the avoidance of self-checkout technology, though, as the numbers show, most independents realize they'll eventually have to install these units for competitive reasons.