Asupermarketis aself-serviceshopoffering a wide variety offood,beveragesandhousehold products,organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earliergrocery stores,but is smaller and more limited in the range of merchandise than ahypermarketorbig-box market.In everyday United States usage, however, "grocery store"is often used to mean" supermarket ".
The supermarket typically has places for fresh meat, freshproduce,dairy,deliitems, baked goods, and similar foodstuffs.
Shelf space is also reserved for canned and packaged goods and for various non-food items such askitchenware,household cleaners,pharmacyproducts and pet supplies. Some supermarkets also sell other household products that are consumed regularly, such as alcohol (where permitted), medicine, andclothing,and some sell a much wider range of non-food products:DVDs,sporting equipment, board games, and seasonal items (e.g.,Christmaswrapping paper,Easter eggs,school uniforms, Valentine's Day themed gifts, Mother's Day gifts, Father's Day gifts andHalloween).
A larger full-service supermarket combined with adepartment storeis sometimes known as ahypermarket.Other services may include those of banks, cafés, childcare centers/creches, insurance (and other financial services),mobile phonesales, photo processing, video rentals, pharmacies, andgas stations.If the eatery in a supermarket is substantial enough, the facility may be called a "grocerant", aportmanteauof "grocery" and "restaurant".
The traditional supermarket occupies a large amount of floor space, usually on a single level. It is usually situated near a residential area in order to be convenient to consumers. The basic appeal is the availability of a broad selection of goods under a single roof, at relatively low prices. Other advantages include ease of parking and frequently the convenience of shopping hours that extend into the evening or even 24 hours of the day. Supermarkets usually allocate large budgets to advertising, typically through newspapers and television. They also present elaborate in-shop displays of products. (Full article...)
Fred Meyeris an American chain ofhypermarketsuperstoresfounded in 1922 inPortland, Oregon,United States, byFred G. Meyer.The stores operate in thenorthwest U.S.,with locations inOregon,Washington,Idaho,andAlaska.The company was acquired byKrogerin 1998, though the stores are still branded Fred Meyer. The chain was one of the first in the United States to promote one-stop shopping, eventually combining a complete grocery supermarket with a drugstore, bank, clothing, jewelry, home decor, home improvement, garden, electronics, restaurant, shoes, sporting goods, and toys. The Fred Meyer division is headquartered in Portland.
Aldi(stylised asALDI) is the common company brand name of twoGermanmultinationalfamily-owneddiscount supermarketchainsoperating over 12,000 stores in 18 countries. The chain was founded by brothersKarlandTheo Albrechtin 1946, when they took over their mother's store inEssen.The business was split into two separate groups in 1960, that later becameAldi Nord,headquartered in Essen, andAldi Süd,headquartered in neighbouringMülheim.
In 1962, they introduced the nameAldi(asyllabic abbreviationforAlbrechtDiskont), which is pronounced[ˈaldiː]ⓘ.In Germany, Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd have been financially and legally separate since 1966, although both divisions' names may appear as if they were a single enterprise with certainstore brandsor when negotiating withcontractorcompanies. The formal business name of Aldi Nord isAldi Einkauf GmbH & Co.,while the formal business name of Aldi Süd isALDI SÜD Dienstleistungs-SE & Co.Each company is owned and operated independently, but they do have contractual business with one another. (Full article...)
Lidl is the chief competitor of the similar German discount chainAldiin several markets. (Full article...)
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DEKAwas a nationwide chain of general merchandise stores in New Zealand. It was launched in 1988 by L.D. Nathan, which split its supermarket and general merchandise divisions. In 1992 ownership of DEKA shifted to theFarmers Trading Company,which had until then been a competitor. As a result of unsustainable financial losses, all DEKA stores were either closed or converted to Farmers stores in 2001. (Full article...)
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Harris Farm Marketsis an Australian grocery chain with over 30 locations inNew South WalesandQueenslandwith the majority of stores existing within theSydneymetropolitan area, theBrisbanemetropolitan area, and various regional areas in New South Wales includingNewcastle,Orange,BathurstandAlbury.The markets specialise in fruit, vegetables, cheeses, breads, delicatessen and gourmet grocery items.
They are Australia's biggest individual retailer of fruit and vegetables and promote 'odd-shaped' fruit called "Imperfect Picks" at lower prices in an initiative to reduce landfills. Harris Farm Markets also produce many of their products inFlemington,including yogurt, frozen goods, salads, juices and milk. (Full article...)
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Australian Liquor Marketersis the liquor arm ofMetcash.It distributes liquor to businesses aroundAustraliaandNew Zealand,and runs a franchise of almost 2900 liquor stores operating asThe Bottle-O,Cellarbrations,IGA Liquor,Duncans,Thirsty Camel,Big Bargain,PortersandMerchants Liquor.
The company has 13 distribution centres across every state and territory of Australia, and a distribution centre in New Zealand. It is Australia's largest supplier of liquor to independently owned liquor retailers and largest broad-range liquor wholesaler, supplying to 12,000 liquor customers. (Full article...)
The overall size of the sector has been increasing since the end of the1997 Asian financial crisis,with retail sales increasing by 30% between 1999 and 2005. One contributing factor was the growth of larger stores with greaterbuying powerandeconomies of scale,at the cost of smallerbricks and mortarmerchants. Another contributing factor was low price inflation, with the price of imported goods falling 12% during that period. (Full article...)
Casino Group is the source of many innovations, such as the first distributor's brand in 1901, the first self-service store in 1948, or even the display of a sell-by date on consumer products in 1959. (Full article...)
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Cotton On Groupis an Australian retail company known for itsfashion,clothing and stationery brands. As of 2020, it has over 1,500 stores in 18 countries employing 22,000 people across eight brands: Cotton On, Cotton On Kids, Cotton On Body, Factorie, Typo, Rubi,Supré,Ceres and Cotton On Foundation.
The design team in the company's Australian office, control the steps of production from merchandise planning to establishing specifications, and production is outsourced to approximately 850 suppliers and factories globally. Cotton On Group sources its materials and products from a number of locations worldwide with the majority of its suppliers being located in China, Bangladesh, India and Australia. It also works with suppliers in Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, the United States and other parts of Asia. These facilities are used for horizontal division of labour, rather than being integrated. (Full article...)
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Mosaic Brands Limitedis an Australian fashion retail company. It operates 715 stores across Australia under the brands Millers, Rockmans, Noni B, Rivers, Katies, Autograph, Crossroads, W. Lane and Beme. The company's core market is women over the age of 50. In 2024 it was placed intovoluntary administrationwithreceivers and managersappointed fromKPMGafter its self-downsize fell through. (Full article...)
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Aldi(stylised asALDI) is the common company brand name of twoGermanmultinationalfamily-owneddiscount supermarketchainsoperating over 12,000 stores in 18 countries. The chain was founded by brothersKarlandTheo Albrechtin 1946, when they took over their mother's store inEssen.The business was split into two separate groups in 1960, that later becameAldi Nord,headquartered in Essen, andAldi Süd,headquartered in neighbouringMülheim.
In 1962, they introduced the nameAldi(asyllabic abbreviationforAlbrechtDiskont), which is pronounced[ˈaldiː]ⓘ.In Germany, Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd have been financially and legally separate since 1966, although both divisions' names may appear as if they were a single enterprise with certainstore brandsor when negotiating withcontractorcompanies. The formal business name of Aldi Nord isAldi Einkauf GmbH & Co.,while the formal business name of Aldi Süd isALDI SÜD Dienstleistungs-SE & Co.Each company is owned and operated independently, but they do have contractual business with one another. (Full article...)
The parent company for Londis Ireland is wholesaler retail grocery franchise operatorBWG FoodsUC. In December 2012, the company has an estimated net worth of £319 million. (Full article...)
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H & J Smith Holdings Ltd,branded asH & J Smith(known colloquially asH&J'sorSmith's)was a company which operated in the lower South Island ofNew Zealand.The company was founded in 1900 and closed in 2023. It operates a network of franchises. The company previously operated department stores around theSouth Islandwith the flagship store inInvercargill.(Full article...)
Woolworths specialises in groceries (vegetables, fruit, meat, packaged foods, etc.), but also sells magazines, DVDs, health and beauty products, household products, pet and baby supplies, and stationery. As of June 2023, there were 995 Woolworths supermarkets and 90 Woolworths Metroconvenience stores.Woolworths Online (formerly HomeShop) is a click and collect, and home delivery service for Woolworths supermarkets. (Full article...)
Retail Apparel Groupis an Australian and New Zealand clothing retail company, wholly owned by theFoschini Group.The company operates stores under the Tarocash, Connor, yd., Johnny Bigg, Rockwear and AXL+Co brands. (Full article...)
Cotton On Groupis an Australian retail company known for itsfashion,clothing and stationery brands. As of 2020, it has over 1,500 stores in 18 countries employing 22,000 people across eight brands: Cotton On, Cotton On Kids, Cotton On Body, Factorie, Typo, Rubi,Supré,Ceres and Cotton On Foundation.
The design team in the company's Australian office, control the steps of production from merchandise planning to establishing specifications, and production is outsourced to approximately 850 suppliers and factories globally. Cotton On Group sources its materials and products from a number of locations worldwide with the majority of its suppliers being located in China, Bangladesh, India and Australia. It also works with suppliers in Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, the United States and other parts of Asia. These facilities are used for horizontal division of labour, rather than being integrated. (Full article...)
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The Trustsare a group of two community-owned organisations (licensing trusts) with a near monopoly on the sale of alcohol inWest Auckland.They are one of the largest alcohol retailers in New Zealand.
Three people are killed and fifteen others are injured in amass stabbingat a supermarket inSong gian g district,Shanghai,China.Policearrest a 37-year-old man at the scene, adding that the man had come to Shanghai in order to "vent his anger due to a personal economic dispute".(Reuters)(BBC News)
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