SN has reported on a boatload of big news in food retailing in recent months, not the least of which has been A&P’s return to bankruptcy court.
A recent SN poll illustrates just how important this matter is to our audience.
You see, we had posed this question to our readers — “What recent news story will have the biggest industry impact?” — before A&P’s Chapter 11 news and subsequent store selloff and closure plans, but it was still far and away the news leader.
Exhibit A&P:
The poll’s most popular multiple choice answer was “A&P: Unions say former grocery superstar is for sale.” With 71% of the vote, this article more than doubled the total of every other answer.
One reader riffed on A&P’s fate: “In New York/North Jersey, many profitable stores will be sold to ShopRite and Stop & Shop. In Philadelphia area ShopRite and ACME to get better ones, while losers will go dark, unfortunately!”
To which another reader replied: “Is this your opinion? Or do you have some inside info that most people don't know of?”
Reader No. 1 didn’t respond, but inside information or not, he got it pretty close. The industry is in a wait-and-see mode regarding any appetite on ShopRite’s part — or by Kroger, which speculators also routinely fed into the A&P rumor mill.
Lost in A&P’s shadow, the rest of the poll looked like this:
• Lidl: Another German discounter announces U.S. plans — Not-bad results at 11%.
• Target: CVS to buy retailer’s pharmacies for $1.9 big ones — This article cornered the pharmaceutical bloc with 9%.
• Aldi: German discounter readies California invasion — Lidl rival Aldi’s ever-expanding footprint is never uninteresting, even at 6%.
• Whole Foods: Names ‘365’ small-store format, executive — Whole Foods’ name-calling pulled in a rather ho-hum 3%.
This poll was also posted before Haggen’s troubles in SoCal came to light. No doubt it would have ranked high — I’m guessing No. 2 after, you know, A&P.
Check out the vote totals for this and other polls at supermarketnews.com/polls.
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