Retail

Whether you are an entrepreneur looking to better understand how your retailers are faring in the online space or a retailer looking to up your digital game, here are four main takeaways about the state of U.S. digital grocery, according to L2 researchers.

The big box retailer announced today that it has agreed to acquire Shipt, Inc., a leading online same-day delivery platform, for $550 million in cash. The acquisition strengthens Target’s position as a major competitor in the online grocery space.

Today, the vegetable-forward, frozen pizza brand announced a $2 million investment from the Boulder Food Group (BFG) and the addition of more than 2,500 stores to its retail distribution.

Earlier this morning, Whole Foods Market shareholders voted to advance the proposal for e-commerce pioneer Amazon to acquire the natural and organic grocer. While the business community was eagerly awaiting the merger’s approval, consumers are just as excited for what this union may bring to their pantry shelves, according to market research firm GfK.

In previously scheduled appearances, Sprouts CFO Brad Lukow presented at the Jefferies 2017 Global Consumer Conference Tuesday and Kroger CFO Michael Schlotman addressed investors at the Oppenheimer Annual Consumer Conference Wednesday. Schlotman addressed investors again during Thursday’s annual shareholders meeting. Though their talks didn’t focus on Amazon’s Friday announcement that the online retailer is acquiring Whole Foods for $13.7 billion, that didn’t keep the elephant out of the room.

Following the Friday announcement that e-commerce pioneer Amazon would be purchasing natural products retailer Whole Foods Market, there has been rampant discussion over what the merger means for the retailer and industry. In communications to team members, both through email and a “town hall meeting” at Whole Foods headquarters, some information has come to light.

During the Cincinnati-based retailer’s Q1 earnings call on Thursday, before the Whole Foods sale was announced, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen said earnings would be about nine percent lower than initially forecast due to new investments in pricing and service, as well as margin pressure. The retailer’s stock price plunged 19 percent on Thursday as a result of the struggles, then — similar to other retailers– fell another 13 percent Friday once the Whole Foods deal was done. The market slowly began rebounding late Monday morning.

In a deal that’s shaking the shopping experience for consumers, retailers, and food and beverage companies, Amazon’s scooping up of Whole Foods for $13.7 billion on Friday has hardened talk of large-scale disruption in the way consumers buy their groceries. The deal is the largest U.S. grocery transaction since a $17.4 billion takeover of Albertsons, according to Mergermarket. Here’s an in-depth look into the acquisition and its implications for the retailers and beyond.

It’s crunch time for retailers. To attract new customers, retain current customers and plan for long-term, consistent sales growth, several retailers revealed new stores, marketing strategies and location plays over the last week.