As so much talk within the grocery industry is centered around Amazon, Walmart, and a certain pending mega-merger aiming to compete with them, one grocery giant—Ahold Delhaize—is finding value in smaller, regional chains.

“We think retail is local,” Ahold Delhaize CEO Frans Muller told Retail Brew. “We think it gives a lot of ownership and accountability and engagement to local management to run the brand, be responsible, breathe the brand.”

In the US, the company owns Mid-Atlantic and Southeast chain Food Lion; Mid-Atlantic grocers Giant Food and The GIANT Company; and Northeast banners Hannaford and Stop & Shop. Some of these chains are solid, as Food Lion and Hannaford recently notched 47 and 12 quarters of positive sales growth, respectively, while Stop & Shop is shuttering 32 underperforming locations.

Ahold Delhaize is working to restore growth across all of its banners, in May unveiling its “Growing Together” strategy outlining goals it aims to achieve by 2028. These include growing its Own Brand to become 45% of total store sales, pushing for “more pronounced” organic store growth for its banners, and steadying its struggling Stop & Shop.

Speaking with Retail Brew at Groceryshop, Muller shared details on these efforts and the challenges they entail.

Keep reading here.—EC

Joining the frenzy of early promotional activity from retailers, JCPenney is promising big deals and low pricing this holiday season. The department store, which a year ago reinvested $1 billion into its business, said it plans to price 70% of its gift assortment at below $20 and offer discounts up to 75% on jewelry and 60% on apparel, among other deals.

These deals are more than one-off promotions, however. They reflect a deeper shift in strategy around how the department store manages its inventory and chooses its assortment, Michelle Wlazlo, chief merchandising and supply chain officer for JCPenney, told Retail Brew via email.

“Our ‘Gotta Have It’ pricing means that every day, our customers understand the great value that can be found at JCPenney, including top items with relatively consistent pricing throughout the year, and which are still eligible for use with our coupons,” she said.

Keep reading here.—AV

It’s the first week of November, and while there’s some other things happening in the next few days that you’ve probably have gotten a text or two about, the retail industry is barreling into the heart of the holiday season with a mix of post-Halloween data points, earnings calls, webinars, and other events.

In events: Marketing association DPAA has declared November Retail Media Month to showcase how in-store media networks are changing advertising, and it’s kicking off the celebration with an event on Wednesday. The webinar will present a case study on Dell that highlights how digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising can “support brand marketing within retail media environments.”

Keep reading here.—AV