Business Bites: Shoprite gets aggressive in Glasgow; Governor in Switzerland

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shopritestores_1332268441_600It came as a bit of a surprise this week when we learned in a News Journal story that Shoprite plans to reopen a supermarket in the Four Seasons of Route 896,  south of Newark. SuperFresh first opened the store, only to close the location as parent company A&P struggled. A second attempt by A&P to open the store under the Pathmark name also failed. Now, it’s Shoprite’s turn and there’s good reason to believe that the third time will be a charm. The company’s overhaul and expansion of the former Safeway site  in Governor’s Square, Bear, has been a big success for the Kenny family- owned Delaware Supermarkets. Speaking of Safeway, the new Shoprite will be a formidable competitor for Safeway, which has a supermarket off Route 896 and never recovered from the acquisition of Genuardi’s stores. Safeway has sold off or closed Genuardi’s locations, but held on to two northern Delaware markets that had been part of the highly regarded chain. Shoprite (Wakefern Foods)  is a cooperative wholesaler that is owned by members like Delaware Supermarkets. As competitors, like Pathmark, Safeway  and Acme struggle,  Delaware Supermarkets has grown steadily. It does not have enough locations to wrest the top spot from Acme, but seems destined to move into the No. 2 slot. Chillin’ in Davos Heading the National Governor’s Association has its perks. Jack Markell was in Davos, Switzerland  over the weekend, attending the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, an independent international organization  that aims to engage  business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Markell represented  all governors as Chair of National Governors Association. He met with  business and energy industry leaders, IT leaders, foreign and foreign leaders, and young business entrepreneurs. The forum, according to a release from the governor’s office,  brings together key international business leaders and government leaders with potential opportunities to develop relationships that could translate into economic opportunities for the states, including Delaware. The World Economic Forum is paying his expenses at the forum and NGA is covering the cost of his flight.   Gecko closes its doors gecko Gecko Fashions in Newark closed its doors. The women’s fashion store did not reopen in the new year, after being in operation for seven years. A Facebook posting said the reason was “location, location, location.” The store moved to the less traveled  east end of Main Street after its more central Main Street location became part of a mixed use development.  Construction of that project got under way recently. – Doug Rainey

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