The most-read story in Supermarket News in 2022 was an April story about Publix readying a 5-for-1 stock split that was set to boost its number of authorized common shares from 1 billion to 4 billion.
Unsurprisingly, the Kroger/Albertsons merger also ranked highly. Though it’s still pending, the $24.6 billion deal announced in October was certainly the biggest industry story of the year.
Otherwise, Amazon dominated the headlines. In May, Amazon Fresh emerged as a true competitor in the supermarket space, and the next month it ramped up expansion with five new stores, doubling its location count over the previous year. Meanwhile, Amazon’s Whole Foods brand announced plans to shut a half-dozen stores.
Other brands that featured prominently in SN this year included Aldi, which had big expansion plans; Target, which hiked its hourly wages; Save Mart Cos., which was acquired by a private-equity firm; Walmart, which offered COVID-19 antiviral prescriptions; and Meijer, which opened a pair of supercenters.
Read these stories in the following gallery.
