Supermarket News

Below is the latest from three grocery chains:

* Loblaw (Toronto) is shutting two of the three No Name stores it had opened last fall in Ontario. The Canadian grocer’s ultra-discount test sites missed mark with shoppers in a variety of ways, including eschewing a dairy section, report a variety of sources, including CTV News. Loblaw confirmed it closed its No Name store in LaSalle on Oct. 25, after earlier shuttering the one in St. Catharines in July. A third location, in Brockville, will remain open, the company said. Loblaw told CTV News the No Name concept was a limited pilot and it is actively applying learnings to reduce operating costs and deliver value to its customers at other sites. A new No Frills store near the closing LaSalle No Name store is scheduled to open on Oct. 30, the grocer noted.

* VG’s Grocery, a unit of SpartanNash (Grand Rapids, Mich.), has updated and expanded its store in Fenton, Mich. Enhancements at the premium grocer’s locale include an expanded meat department; an enhanced produce section; a center store display spotlighting local products and nostalgic candy favorites; and wider aisles and lowered merchandising heights for improved accessibility and easier shopping. There are seven other VG’s locales, all in Michigan.

Bye-Bye, Southeastern Grocers LLC (Jacksonville, Fla): the company is changing its name to that of its flagship chain, The Winn-Dixie Co. As part of that transition, the grocer also said it was working to sell almost all its 40 locations outside of its home state. “As we enter our next century as The Winn-Dixie Company – a brand-new 100-year-old company – we are accelerating growth where our roots run deepest while staying true to our purpose of feeding and enriching the communities, families and neighbors who have supported us for generations,” Anthony Hucker, Chairman and CEO of Southeastern Grocers, said in a news release.