Center Store

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid announced Thursday that it is now accepting Apple Pay for purchases made on the company's e-commerce site, making Rite Aid the first pharmacy retailer to accept Apple Pay as a form of payment online.

Seeking to offer adult consumers more options in the tobacco category, Smokey Mountain Chew is introducing Airio, a pressurized filter that company officials say removes about 66% of the tar and other chemicals from a cigarette.

PLANO, Texas — As Walmart looks to centralize its merchandising activity planning process and establish standard operating procedures for in-store service providers, it has named sales and marketing company Crossmark as one of its preferred service providers. With the selection, Crossmark is one of five companies that can execute merchandising activity on behalf of suppliers in nearly 5,000 U.S. Walmart locations.

NEW YORK — The Emerson Group last month hosted its 10th Annual Retail Industry Day in a packed room, with hundreds of merchants eager to discover how to better position their products for tomorrow’s ever-evolving consumer.

They weren’t disappointed.

Consumers are increasingly weighing the health consequences of all of their purchasing decisions, including products for their four-legged family members.

From food and treats to toys and grooming products, shoppers are seeking items for their pets that offer the same healthy attributes as the products they buy for themselves.

When it comes to tobacco sales, it is all about the angle you are looking from.

For those who remain optimistic about the category, they can point to individual unit sales of nearly $250 billion annually and price points that can hover around $10 a pack. They also can say that while the number of users is down dramatically over the last 20 years, the most loyal cigarette smokers continue to purchase the product at a steady rate and, surveys find, will continue to do so for years to come.

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — A new addition to the Frosted Flakes line will be hitting stores in November. Kellogg’s on Tuesday announced the introduction of chocolate Frosted Flakes.

"We stay close to our fans to make sure we are delivering the cereal experiences they want most, which is what resulted in the delicious flavor of cinnamon Frosted Flakes launched last year," Kellogg’s senior director of morning food marketing Brad Schwan said. "So, when we found out chocolate was the next most requested flavor, we set to work right away."

CHICAGO — IRI and Ahold Delhaize Licensing on Tuesday announced they have entered into a long-term agreement for IRI to serve as the primary partner and analytics platform of record for the brands of Ahold USA and Delhaize America.