Retail & FoodService

Trader Joe’s says that its mission is to give its customers the best food and beverage values that can be found. But competing grocers have been sharpening prices and offering promotions on key items. We visited four local grocers and the bustling Trader Joe’s last week to compare prices on kitchen staples. We chose store brands in seven categories for a snapshot of how much a consumer would spend in each store. …

The Phoenix-based business will open its first store this spring in the Chicago suburb of Mt. Prospect, Ill., but announced another 22 planned stores, including six in Ohio and two in Central Ohio – one on Sawmill Road in the former Borders bookstore near Intestate 270 this summer and another in Worthington in 2016. …

The focus on dieticians is a a phenomenon sweeping the grocery business, according to the New York Times. Will consumers embrace it? …

Instacart (www.Instacart.com), the only service that can deliver groceries from multiple local stores within an hour, announced today that it has expanded its service to Philadelphia. Beginning today, customers can order virtually any items carried in their neighborhood Whole Foods and have them delivered in as little as one hour. Additional stores will be added in the coming weeks. Instacart will be the only same-day online grocery order and delivery option in Philadelphia. …

Stroll past the kosher section of most large supermarkets in America and you could be forgiven for thinking that Jewish diets consist mainly of jarred gefilte fish, unsalted matzahs and Tam-Tam crackers. Not so at the Winn-Dixie supermarket in this affluent South Florida suburb. …